Change my Heart
by NavyWriterChic
Summary: Tony Stark is slipping into exhaustion and alcoholism when he meets up with fellow businesswoman Abygail Wickford. Can these two find the time & ability to be together or will death take one of them away? Post Iron Man 2 & Pre-Avengers
1. Chapter 1

_Here is my Iron Man fanfiction that has been stuffed in the depths of my hard drive for a while. I only decided to post it since some of the action in this story does overlap with my Thor fanfiction "Storms Within." Please enjoy and review at the end of the chapters to keep experiencing Tony's journey to redemption and finding the love of his life._

_For appearances sake:_

_Tony Stark - Robert Downey JR. James "Rhodey" Rhodes - Terrance Howard Pepper Potts - Gwyneth Paltrow ... and introducing Abygail Wickford - Natalia Livingston_

_The song they dance to is Jessica Simpson's "Irresistible"  
><em>

* * *

><p><em>I am Iron Man…since I uttered those words, my life has been beyond chaos. I have tried to redeem myself and my honor by defending the Earth. Enemies from far and wide have tried to kill me on a daily basis. I barely have time for me anymore.<em>

_ Rhodey has been trying to carry my load while Pepper has tried taking control of Stark Industries, but I found that I needed to be in charge in order just to feel alive. Why should I only be Iron Man and not Tony Stark at least some of the time? I was Tony Stark before I was Iron Man._

_ While Rhodey was in the bunker checking out the radar, I decided to take the night off and fulfill my fantasy…returning to the social and personal life of Tony Stark._

* * *

><p><strong>Carnelian Embassy – Downtown Los Angeles<strong>

The music was loud and obnoxious as bodies filled the floor. Every gentlemen was cloaked in the traditional penguin suit while the women were all dressed in luxurious and radiant gowns.

Tony Stark decided to check out the gorgeous females from the elevated bar area. He approached an empty stool and took a seat.

"Greetings," the tender greeted him. "What can I get you?"

"Scotch on the rocks," Tony ordered his traditional starter beverage.

His drink arrived fairly quickly.

He watched the floor of all the people that were dancing. Most of the females were very beautiful in their jewels and gowns, but they pretty much were all taken. So much for finding someone to go home with this evening, he thought.

Suddenly, his eyes were drawn to the cheers and swarm of men that stormed from the dance-floor and toward the front door. Camera flashes went off as a tall, brutish man pushed them aside so his quarry could go into a private lounging area.

_Who just walked in_, Tony remarked under his breath. _The Pope_?

"Animals," the bartender said. "All for a girl."

"A girl," he choked out the words. "What girl?"

"Some corporate bigwig who is supposedly bachelorette of the year material," the tender said as he polished and dried a glass. "Supposed to be the newest money in town even though she grew up with it her whole life."

"Gotta love it," he said and took another drink.

* * *

><p>The night was boring as he socialized with several of the people that were at the bar. He tried to keep a low profile because everyone only saw him as Iron Man and not Tony Stark anymore.<p>

Finally, he stood there alone; drinking his scotch and was refreshed by the bartender.

"Vodka martini straight-up with a twist," a pleasant female voice joined him at the bar.

Tony took a glance over at the voice that had ordered the drink. She was young with dark auburn tresses that were twisted into hundreds of curls with a jeweled headband crossed along her brow. The dress she wore was a leather corset that barely held her in, but suctioned her to all of her upper body.

The black silk fell in soft vertical waves down. She wore leather gloves that did not cover her hands, but most of her arms to her biceps.

"Rough night, are we having?" he asked as he took a drink of his scotch.

"How can you guess?" she asked.

"The drink."

The woman turned and leaned against the bar; a sultry siren that was staring out her next prey to consume. "I know that I am irresistible, but it's them," she said as she was talking to him. "They see me for my wallet. Not just for me. Now I know what a side of beef feels like."

"Know the feeling," he said to her.

Finally their eyes locked with one another. He looked deep into the abyss of her dark eyes as well as the sparkles that radiated from them. She was gorgeous, despite their obvious age difference.

"Then perhaps it is fate that we met this evening," she said as she turned completely to look to him. "Abygail Wickford," she extended a hand to him.

He was about to take her hand when someone stopped him by speaking to him.

"Well well well," a voice said from behind him. "Anthony Stark. How you grace this place with your presence."

Tony turned around and saw his ex-girlfriend standing behind him. "Ms. Frost," he said.

"Oh, it's Mrs. Frost and you know that," Whitney corrected him. "It's always been that and you know it. I can see that you have not changed in all the years that I have known you Tony."

"I don't change for anything or anyone for that matter. You should have known that before you walked out."

"That is the reason that I walked out," she replied in a whit-filled tone as she locked eyes with the woman that he had been talking at the bar with. "And who is your pretty friend here? The next on your list of numerous conquests. Take it from me sweetheart, he may be attractive, but he is not all he appears to be."

His bar-mate stood up from leaning on the bar with a smile on her face and extended a hand to her. "Abygail Wickford of Teradyne Technologies," his friend introduced herself. "And who might you be?"

"Whitney Frost," Whitney introduced herself although with the tirade that she was currently on, she had made herself known enough.

"Do you know Mr. Stark from work or personal?" she asked.

"Personal. Very, very personal," Whitney replied. "Mr. Stark is always full of surprises."

"But no more," Tony corrected.

"All because you wouldn't save my father," Whitney replied, stroking the front section bang of her raven hair to hide a section of her face.

"I resent that," he said. "There was nothing that I could do and besides, your father was trying to kil…" He changed his choice of words. "Trying to keep me away and threatened my life."

"He was just sensitive."

"I'm sure," he replied.

"I'm going to go," Abygail Wickford said. "Let you two work through your issues."

"No, wait. We are almost done," he told her.

Whitney grabbed a drink from the bar and tossed it into Tony's face. "We'll never be done…hero," she snapped and walked away. Her silver dress shimmered as she walked away.

He opened his eyes and looked for Ms. Wickford, but she was gone. He looked around the bar and dining areas, but his fellow drinking partner was nowhere around.

"Barkeep, a towel and another please."

* * *

><p>The evening progressed and nearly reached the following day and Tony Stark was still at the bar talking with the bartender and taking down yet another martini.<p>

A crowd hooted and hollered, whistling like a bunch of men that swarmed the hallway of a local school over the new girl in the short skirt.

He turned around and watched as Abygail Wickford was walking out to the dance floor. All the men were swarming around her, just wanting her to select them to dance with.

"Barbarians," he said and took one final swallow of his drink.

"Who sir?" the tender asked him.

"Those men down there treating that poor, little rich girl like a piece of meat," Tony replied and turned to look back at the men that kept asking for a dance and she kept turning them down. "See, she knows what she wants and they keep coming back for more abuse. Another, please."

"That will be your last one Mr. Stark, then I have to sadly cut you off," the bartender informed him and went to make another drink.

Tony turned around in the stool and watched as Abby was dancing with yet another one of her suitors, but when he went close enough to grab her from behind, she grabbed the perv's arm and twisted it around behind him before kicking him back into the crowd.

The boys all hooted and cheered at her crass as well as her bluntness to get the suitors away from her.

"Why do they even try?" he said.

Then it donned on him. If they weren't her type, what if he _was_.

He quickly took down the martini and headed down the steps to the dance floor.

The song was over and the DJ was in the middle of changing the discs as he made his way to the floor. "Excuse me gentlemen," he said as he gently pushed aside some of the suitors, while some of them stepped aside when they realized who was coming through the crowd.

He finally arrived to where the young Abygail Wickford was standing.

"Well, this is quite a place to find you Mr. Stark," she said to him.

"Yeah, it has to be the alcohol that brought me out here," he replied, "because I think these boys need to know how to treat a lady."

"Oh really?"

"Really. Now if the lady will grant me permission to enter her sacred space and not break my arm or embarrass me further, may I show you what it is like to treat a lady?"

"Do you think that you can, considering the scene I had to witness up there?" she asked.

He stepped closer to her and gently took her black gloved hand in his and brought himself to be right beside her. There was music, but there could be silence for all he cared and he still would have been able to dance with Ms. Wickford.

"What are you doing Mr. Stark?"

"Beats me," he replied. "Don't you hate it when you are not in control of your body?"

Before she could answer his wisecrack however, he spun her out before him and snapped her back to where her back met him.

She traded hands with the one that he currently had and was able to spin her around to where they met face to face.

"Very nice," she said to him.

"Wait," he answered back.

Tony dipped her backwards and spun her in a half-arc and brought her back level again.

"My, _you are _full of surprises as your ex said up near the bar," she told him.

They danced together, closer than ever, but she was not resisting him, but sort of guiding her the way that she wanted to be led.

With his arm above, she walked around him, but their eyes did not look away from each other.

He spun her around again and she was back to his front again, but this time her hips sensually moved against him.

"Oh, you devilish temptress," he whispered in her ear.

Abby turned herself to face him all her own. "You have yet to see half of what I can do," she whispered to him, before wrapping both her arms around the back of his neck.

He repeated the throw back dip motion, but this time before bringing her back to her standing position, Tony stroked a hand from her neck, across her necklace and front to the leather corset of the dress that she wore, and brought her back vertical.

"I long to see," he replied to her earlier sentiment.

Abygail smiled at him and they simply stared into each other's eyes while they finished their dance. People frolicked and watched as they showed-off to them, but what did he care.

It would take the attention off him being Iron Man and put it back on his personal life again.

Before he sent her down for a final reverse bow, she hooked the back of her left foot behind his right and she did not fall all the way to the ground. She looped an arm around the back of his neck as the music silenced.

He knew that he had triumphed.

He was now in control.

* * *

><p>Alec Wickford was sitting in the private booth with his father Alexander with their security and with the Prime Minister talking about a potential deal, when someone tapped him on the shoulder.<p>

"What is it Charles?" he said. "Can't you see we are in a meeting with the Prime Minister?"

"Yes sir, but you may want to reel your sister in," Charles suggested.

"Why?" he asked.

"Just look," the guard said as stepped aside.

He looked over to see his sister was dancing very seductively in her dress with someone whom he could not identify because Abby's head was in the way.

Her dance partner drop dipped her to the floor and then stroked his hand across the front of her body before allowing her to stand back up.

Now Alec knew who Abby was dancing with: Tony Stark of Stark Industries.

"I believe that you are right Charles," he told the bodyguard. "Come with me." And he headed toward the direction of his sister and Stark.

The song was over as he arrived to where Stark had his sister near the floor in a dip and she had her hand on his neck to prevent from hitting the floor. Their faces were so close together that either of them could have kissed the other.

"Having fun flirting with the competition sis?" Alec said to his sister.

* * *

><p>Abygail's head dipped back further to look at her oldest brother from the position where she was. "And look, it's the party pooper," she said to him. "You know you are worse than a parent busting a party thrown by their underage children at the house when you're supposed to be on vacation."<p>

"Will you please stand on your own two feet please?" he asked in a formal tone. "I do not need to be talking to someone who is acting childish."

She looked to Tony who had just been watching the siblings argue. "Tony," she said patting him on the lapel of his jacket lightly.

Her dance partner did bring her back to her feet and she stared off at her brother. "You told me to go off and take my suitors away before they interrupt your precious meeting with the Prime Minister."

"So I did," Alec replied, "but I didn't mean to go off and make a fool of yourself with the competition of our company."

"Whoa, whoa man," Tony came to his own defense. "I don't know about you, but it looks to me like she is young woman who can make her own choices; especially when it comes to dancing with whomever she wants."

"As long as it is not the competition," her brother said, grabbing her around the forearm and dragging her away. "Dad wants you to use some of that formal education you have to talk to the Prime Minister anyway."

Soon, Tony Stark was out of her sight.

* * *

><p>Tony Stark stood there as if he had been stood up at the prom, but decided that it was getting late anyway. He was going to be heading for home. His reactor was running low anyway and he did need to get charged back up.<p>

He headed to the valet stand to wait for his car.

* * *

><p>Alec Wickford dragged his sister away, but suddenly, she smacked him in the arm and took off back into the dance floor.<p>

"Abby," he shouted, but she was going to hide or go back to Tony Stark. "Charles," he called for his guard.

"You called sir?" the guard asked.

"Find her," he ordered.

Abygail Wickford dove deep into the crowd, realizing it would lead either her brother or his private hit squad through the men who idolized her to chase her.

But she tried weaving in and out of the couples and made her way out of the ballroom and out to the main lobby.

She found a curtain that was wrapped around a pillar by a window and hid underneath the luscious red fabric.

Peering out between the curtain and the pillar, she watched as Charles, her brother's personal bodyguard was running, but lost sight of her. He looked around, but passed the pillar where she was hiding and she breathed in relief.

She looked to see if it was clear and saw Tony Stark walking toward the front door.

"Psst," she whispered out into the open area.

* * *

><p>Tony stopped in his tracks when he heard a "psst" coming from somewhere.<p>

It repeated again and he looked to see someone hiding underneath one of the curtains near a pillar and a window.

"Whitney?" he called out her name.

But it wasn't her. It was Abygail Wickford.

"Not even," she said and ducked back behind when she noticed someone coming.

He saw that it was the bodyguard that was with Alec Wickford when they were so rudely interrupted after their dance. Their eyes locked and he was squeamish as the man walked up to him.

"What are you looking at Mr. Stark?" the bodyguard asked.

"You quite frankly," Tony replied. "What did your mother feed you when you were younger? Growth hormone pancakes? Miracle-Gro muffins?"

The guard grabbed him by the lapels of his tuxedo in an effort to scare him. "Look, I know that you think that you are some big-bad superhero, Iron Man, but one of these days, you are going to say the wrong thing and it is going to come back and bite you."

"I have no doubt about that," he replied, "but I'll make sure that I keep my suit in the trunk and then I'll let you hit me."

The burly man put him down on the floor to get the crowd that was watching him to disperse.

"Just a slight misunderstanding," he said. "Thought he was the valet manager."

The guard wanted to hit him, but knew it would not make his boss happy. The man walked away from where he was standing and where Abby was hiding.

He backed up slightly and suddenly when no one was looking, he was pulled behind the curtain.

"Now isn't this a little juvenile?" he asked Abby as they were hiding behind the curtain. "It's like elementary students hiding underneath the bleachers to make out."

"What's wrong with that?" she asked and came as close to him as he would allow her.

"Nothing at the moment."

"Good answer."

Not a minute later, he and Abby were making out in their tight confinement. It was as if the past ten minutes of separation didn't even happen and they were right back on the empty dance floor doing what they were doing.

Abygail smelt and tasted as good as she looked, but knew in his heart that this was forbidden by not only her family, but everything that he held dear since he became Iron Man.

Their hands explored each others' bodies. His hands felt the smooth leather of her corset while she had one arm by his hairline and the other staked across his dress jacket.

Suddenly, the communicator in his jacket pocket was going off.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me," he said after pulling himself away from her. Abby did not stop as she nuzzled on his neck while he reached to open the communicator.

"Sir, priority one signal from Middle East," JARVIS told him.

"Well, send Rhodey instead," he told the computer.

"The signal is from him sir," JARVIS replied back.

"What is it?" she asked him.

"Work unfortunately," he told her and reached to hold her face in her hands. "I have to go."

"Go? Go where?"

"You don't want to know," he said, kissed her forehead, and left from behind the curtain. "I'll call you."

Tony did not want to leave Abby high and dry like that, but he needed to get out of embassy, back to the house, and get suited up before he could help Rhodey with his problems.

He climbed into the silver car and took off down the street at a high rate of speed to get back.

* * *

><p>Abygail Wickford rushed out to the steps and watched at what she assumed to be Tony's car as it raced away.<p>

She did not understand where he was going in such a hurry, but once they were done with him after he had left, the reporters started charging toward her.

She rushed back into the embassy to prevent from being trampled.

* * *

><p>Tony drove down the freeway as fast as he could without hitting any cars in the way.<p>

"Call JARVIS," he commanded of his in car equipment.

"Hello sir," JARVIS replied. "What is your command?"

"I need you to get the suit prepped and ready for me to jump into after I get out of this suit," he ordered as he drove. "I should be there in five minutes."

"Should I contact Colonel Rhodes, sir?" the computer asked.

"Tell him I am on my way," he told him. "Hang loose till I get there."

It took him just over fifteen minutes to get home, he took off the tuxedo to change into something more qualified for the Iron Man uniform, and had JARVIS hook him into the metallic suit.

After he was all suited, he took off out of the garage and into the darkness to face whatever and wherever he was going that requested his services.

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><p><em>Remember to review and see how this relationship between Abygail and Tony is going to work out...or will it?<em>


	2. Chapter 2 Problems

_Hope you are all enjoying this story, and I assure you that it is just getting started. Please review and enjoy. Also be sure to check out my "Thor" based story "Storms Within" and my "Loki" based story "Stockholm."  
><em>

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><p><strong><span>Chapter Two - Problems<span>  
><strong>

_The following morning_

Tony Stark came upstairs to his living room from sleeping near his desk downstairs after returning from his assignment on the in the Middle East and saw that Pepper had food out for him already.

"Now that is my girl," he said as he plopped down onto the couch after grabbing his orange juice.

"Anything I can do to make your day a little brighter Mr. Stark," Pepper said to him. "Shall we go over your agenda for the day?"

"Sure, why not?" he said reaching for a slice of toast to eat.

"You have a meeting at Stark Industries at 11 AM," she started. "A regular department meeting to discuss the reopening of the wing where the fight with Obadiah took place last summer…"

"Oh don't remind me," he said. "Did Stanton send over the diagrams for the new ARC Reactor plant yet?" he asked.

"Not yet," she told him. "I will get those for you before the meeting. I have a message from Mr. DuPres regarding a, oh never mind. I told them no."

"Oh, one of those meetings," he said. "Yeah no. Why is it that I say, "I am Iron Man" and I am all of a sudden a bigger sex object than I was before I became Iron Man? What is it about the suit that turns women on; I mean not that it isn't a good thing. It is, but…"

"Bypass," she told him. "We also have a message from Rhodey. Wants to know if you can swing by with the Iron Man uniform for testing…and if the two of you are still on for the gym next Monday."

"Not interested," he replied as he reached for the morning paper. "I mean on the testing part. The gym, yes."

"Ah," she said putting her hand down on it before he read it, "I don't think you are going to want to read that."

"Why?" he asked swallowing the bite of toast he had in his mouth. "Something I am not going to like?"

"You should wait until I tell you."

"Tell me what?" He got the paper from underneath her hand and opened it up.

"Competitive company execs share dance," he said as he read the tagline for the beginning of the article. There was a picture of the very end of the dance next to the title. "Coverage of Stark, Wickford charged tango on page A3. This is what you wanted to warn me not to read?"

"I did not want you to get upset before your grand reopening this morning," she explained as he was flipping to the page to see it.

"Stark Industries CEO Anthony Stark and Teradyne Technologies heir apparent Abygail Wickford shared a dance that is the talk of the business world today," he read the article aloud. "Sources at the Carnelian Embassy say the two were spotted sharing a quiet drink together before an exchange between Stark and another woman. Wickford left the scene to dance on the dance floor when she was approached by Stark for a dance. The source of the photographs that watched the exchange between the two of them," he continued reading as he looked to the pictures that were taken. "The source identifies that during the dance, sexual advances and playful banters were made between the pair and they gave clear indications as to the purpose of the evening. Stark was unable to be reached for comment, but Mr. Alec Wickford of Teradyne said, 'I attempted to stop Mr. Stark from dancing with my sister, but he refused to follow simple instructions and security was called to escort my sister away from the scene.' Stark soon left the embassy afterward and Abygail Wickford was seen on the steps of the embassy, watching Stark's car leave the scene before returning inside and was not able to be located."

He was upset at the falsehood of the story and of Alec Wickford's statement to the press. "Half of this is true and half of it isn't," he said.

"Which half?" she asked.

"The half about that we were looking to score on one another," he told her, standing and looking out the window at the bay. "It was completely innocent. Nothing serious. Just a couple people who were bored and looking to have a good time."

"Should I make that your return comment?" Pepper asked.

"Put a spin on it with that in it," he told her. "Alec Wickford is trying to make his pretty-boy image stick when there is no way he could do it without trashing me."

"So you did dance with his sister?"

"I did and I had a great time doing it," he told her. "I'm going to get changed so I can get out of here and get this day over with." He proceeded upstairs to get ready for his meeting.

* * *

><p><em>Stark Industries<em>

It had been a long morning with the press trying to hound him about the newspaper at the ribbon cutting of the new wing of Stark Industries. All they wanted to talk about was the dance with Abygail Wickford. Not the fact that they had rebuilt a new ARC Reactor and were looking to remanufacture and distribute them for cleaner energy and save the environment.

They wanted to talk about last night.

But Tony kept them at bay by telling them that his secretary Ms. Pepper Potts had his statement and it would be released later. He got the ribbon cutting over with and headed back to his office.

While he was walking however, Christine Everheart was waiting for him right outside of the main doors to the administrative building, just looking to make his day. She had been the reporter that he had spent the evening with before he went to Afghanistan for the Jericho Missile demonstration and the events that led to him becoming Iron Man.

She no doubt had a personal reason for being here and it was not about the ARC Reactor wing.

"Ms. Everheart," Tony greeted her. "Here to make my day even better?"

"Why not Mr. Stark," she replied to his advance. "I hear that you are taken or at least that is what a partner of mine at Vanity Fair that you entertained the heir to the Teradyne Tech empire. Any comments on that?" she asked as she put a recorder in his face.

"I think that we are done Ms. Everheart," he said as he bypassed her and headed up the steps to get to his floor.

"_We are done_," she stressed as she continued to follow him. "I'm just trying to get to the truth. Maybe that is a foreign thing to you now or is that helmet that you put on every night clogging the impulses in your brain to work."

Tony finally made it to his office and his secretary. "Why don't you call my assistant Ms. Potts and she will provide you with a statement regarding last night, OK?"

"I already have your statement Mr. Stark," she said, "and quite honestly, it's a load of bull that you seem to believe. If you will not provide me with a response worth publishing, I'll go straight to Ms. Wickford and get it for myself."

"Go right ahead," he told her with the door to his office open. "And if you do, make sure that you tell her any of that "bull" that you care to believe because believe me, she will laugh in your face. Good day Ms. Everheart." He shut the door.

Finally getting a chance to sit in his chair and not be bothered, he grabbed a scotch from the tray and plopped down into it. The screen saver with his ever expanse collection of cars was displaying across the screen.

He slugged down the drink and was spooked by his CFO Stanton Billings entering his office.

"Whoa, easy Tony," Stanton said to him. "It's just me."

"Sorry," he replied. "Thought you were a tall-legged blonde that was stalking me."

"She's trying to get something out of Marjorie your secretary and she will not talk," Stanton replied. He saw the paper on his desk too and looked to the picture. "I gotta tell you Tony, she was a babe."

"Tell me about it," he answered, taking another drink. "I did not care who she was, if she was the competition or not. I got a little hammered and wanted to have a little fun and she was being stalked by all these men who were dying to dance with her, but she kept pushing them away and…"

"…and you took her hand and danced with her," Stanton finished the sentence in his own way. "I would have done the same thing man, only I would have been sober when I did it. Are you going to see her again?"

"I told her that I would call her," he said, "but you know that you always say that to a girl and it's the kiss of death."

"So?"

"So," Tony said getting up to get another drink. "I did tell her that I might call her and I have to admit that she is quite a looker."

"Well, if she knows that 'I'll call you is the kiss of death," Stanton added to the conversation. "She might be one of those girls that mom warned you about."

"Cept my mom never got the chance to warn me about girls," he told him. "Do you have those plans for the new ARC Reactor plant assembled yet?"

"On their way to the Board Meeting Room which I was going to walk with you there too, if you were up to it," Stanton replied.

"Yeah," he said and got up for a second refill, but Stanton tried to stop him from getting it. "Is there a problem?

"That will be your third one in the five minutes since I have been in your office," his second in command told him. "Why don't you dry out for a little bit and then come down for the meeting?"

"I'm fine," Tony said, grabbing the bottle and poured a third drink. "I can hold my drink as much as anyone in this entire building. Just go ahead and I will be in the Boardroom in about ten minutes."

Stanton was going to protest, but he did decide to go ahead and leave his office and him alone.

Tony went ahead and finished the drink before he walked to his mirror to fix his jacket and headed out for his meeting.

He did not have a drinking problem.

* * *

><p><em>Or does he have a drinking problem. You are going to have to watch and review for continuing details on the relationship building between Tony and Abygail.<em>


	3. Chapter 3 Who's on top?

_Thank you for continuing to enjoy this story. It is only starting to get good. Please continue to review and enjoy!_

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><p><strong>Chapter Three - Who's on Top?<strong>

_Spectrum Athletic club_

It was Monday and the traffic was pouring into the city as the silver Audi wove through the lane-filled rows of cars. It wove in out of cars to arrive at the Spectrum Athletic Club in Santa Monica where he was running a little late for an appointment.

Pulling up his Audi in front of the valet stand, Tony Stark climbed out in his workout clothing and was suddenly ogled by the females that were walking out of the gym and to await their cars.

"Ladies," he greeted them, grabbed his bag out of the backseat, surrendered the keys, and walked inside while on the phone. "Oh come on honey, I had a not so good day at work and was looking forward to letting out some aggression." He was playing around with Rhodey who was on the other end. "Rhodey, Rhodey. You know I am just pulling your strings. Hey, you are the one that wanted to go to the gym and workout. I am merely complying with the fact that you wanted to spend more quality time and not in suits of armor while flying around the world." He approached the desk and signed in. "Just get here when you get here and we'll spar it out, OK? See you in a while."

"Good day Mr. Stark," the attractive physical trainer at the desk greeted him.

"And good day to you Ms…" he greeted.

"Natalie," she replied.

"Well, Natalie, it has been a while since I was here so do you mind pointing me in the right direction."

"Down the stairs to the left," she told him. "If you would like, I could spot you on a couple of the machines."

"Maybe later," he dismissed her advances and headed for the stairwell, aware that several females were looking at his rear end before he was out of sight.

* * *

><p>The valet driver parked Mr. Tony Stark's Audi in the parking space, driving it in and squealing the brakes in a hurry to avoid hitting the concrete wall.<p>

The young kid got out to return to the post.

He dropped Mr. Stark's keys and reached down to the pick them up. They had fallen underneath the limo that was parked along the long wall.

The limousine was marked with a large, Roman T with the word TECH in the center of the letter.

The youth proceeded out of the garage to get the next car to drive it out of the garage.

* * *

><p>Tony was walking on the main level of the floor, passing a glass wall that was enclosed around a private training room, when he could hear someone going at it with a trainer.<p>

The female fighter was putting her aggression to her African American trainer who was instructing her to hit him and to hit him as hard as she could. She did hit him and he attacked her, but she avoided being hit the best she could.

Tony stopped to watch the two fighting, but what he was shocked was the identity of the female fighter.

It was Abygail Wickford.

_Can I get away from you for one day_, he thought before he walked into the training area.

"Excuse me," the burly trainer spoke out to him, "but this is a private training session."

"I'm sure it is, but I know your student," he told him.

Abygail turned and looked to him. She was more beautiful without the make-up, sparkles, and glitzy clothing in her black sport bra top with matching flares. Her body was covered in sweat her long red curls were tied in two long, French braids.

"Fancy seeing you here," Abygail said getting back into her position to battle with her trainer. "Did you track me down?"

"Nope, just passing through and meeting a friend to workout with," he replied.

"Of the female or male variety?" She socked her trainer really hard and he just barely blocked it in time.

"Male," Tony responded. "A good friend of mine. Why?"

"I'm still mad at you," she told him as she continued with her trainer.

"OK," he replied. "I can explain everything. When you are done training, we'll chat."

Abygail low-kick swept her partner and he went down to the ground. "What?" she said. "You can't talk and train at the same time. How do you think that I get half the stuff done that I need to get done?"

"Oh, I won't fight you," he said.

She asked him, "You think you can take me?"

"It's not that. It's just…"

"Then grab some guards and gloves and let's do this," she challenged him.

While he was strapping on the red guards to his wrists and forearms as well as his shins and ankles, Tony watched her as she took a slug from her water bottle and poured some of it over her head.

He took off his shirt to reveal his undershirt and the glowing ARC Reactor under it, but he hoped that it wasn't glowing too brightly.

She seemed very confident in her abilities as she headed back out to the mat to get ready for him.

Soon, they were staring each other down.

"Feel free to quit anytime," she told him getting into her beginner's stance.

"Left the phone in the bag," he replied with a smile. "Not going to let it interrupt this time."

"Good answer," she replied and their match had begun.

Tony attempted to go after her with a punch first, but she was able to avoid it with a crouch.

Abygail laughed it off.

He started sparring with the already limber female across the mat from him. She was covered in sweat from training earlier and she was using her kickboxing to try and beat him. He was going to have to pull out some of his own moves to try and get the best of her.

Abby would duck under his swinging punches and put up a leg to block any kicks that he attempted to make.

Tony tried spiral kicking at her, but she sprung into a reverse cartwheel to get away from him.

"Damn girl you are good," he said to her.

"You haven't seen anything yet," she said and leapt into several front flips before she tried to wail on him with a punch, but he was able to swing off to one side to avoid what would have been a doozy of a hit.

A crowd started to gather outside the enclosed glass area, watching the show between the two of them. Some had their phones out and were no doubt filming the exchange.

He was starting to get worn out from her blocking all his shots and tried to end the match. "OK, I think your trainer should be back soon and he can finish sparring with you," Tony said, starting to get exhausted. "I am not as young and vital anymore."

"Well, you are going to have to do for now because I want to kick your ass anyway for leaving me in the middle of the lobby holding the bag."

"I couldn't help it," he told her, trying to strike, but she did have her hands up to block him. "I got…called away on business."

"Oh yeah, Mr. big tough Iron Man stuff right?" she said and swung into him with a forward lunge punch. "Yeah, know about that little truth as I looked up that press conference you gave last summer, with your confession on it."

He dodged to one side in a forward rolling crouch, but turned back to face her. "Not that it matters, but yes, I was going to call you."

"I'll call you is the kiss of death," she said to him. "You never say that to a girl…especially a black belt in Muay Thai girl." She spun around and brought her foot into a spin kick formation.

He caught her foot in mid-flight and suddenly examined the navy blue, sparkle toe-nail polish beyond the tape that covered her foot and ankle. "And this is coming from the girl with navy blue sparkly toe-nail polish," he made fun of her.

She smiled…right before she hopped on her other foot to kick him in the stomach.

He fell to the mat. "OK," he said. "Cheap shot."

"I never said that I play fair."

Tony snapped back up to his feet and was ready to fight her yet again. He came in with a striking right hook, but she swerved to avoid it. He tried again with the other hand, but she avoided it too.

"Oh come on. Treat me like one of those criminals that you take down on a nightly basis just so that you can be devoid of any social life and companionship." She cracked a smile in waiting for his attack.

"OK. Are we sparring or psychoanalyzing each other?" he asked before swinging at her.

She smiled at him and attacked again with a low kick to his knees with a swinging left hook to his face, which he blocked, but nearly wound up being clocked.

_OK, that was it_ he thought. "OK, no more fighting like a girl," he said and took off the pads from his wrists.

"Bring it baby," she said as she did the same.

He brought his hands up and used them as blocks before striking back, trying to strike at her, but she did put up her own hands to defend against his strikes.

Tony attempted a series of roundhouse kicks, one at her knees and one to her head, but she sprung over the one and sprung to her back to avoid the high one. "You're getting good," he said.

"Why thank you."

She sprung at him with a series of kicks before she wound up behind him; after he knelt to the ground to avoid her. She used her arms to weave under his and grasp her hands around the back of his neck.

He was able to give a quick jab to her abdomen, forcing her to release her hold on him, before grabbing her around the back of her neck and brought her to the ground.

Abby attempted to use her legs to swing around, but he used his own body-weight to keep her down on the mat.

Before claiming victory, he pinned her arms beside her and waited for her to look at him.

"That's game," he said to her as they were both breathing hard.

"You win," she finally submitted in defeat.

"Who wins?" a voice asked.

Tony looked over and saw Rhodey was standing there with his gym bag, ready to work out with him, but he had already gotten his workout with Abby. The crowd had dispersed once he entered.

"I do," he said and slowly got up so she would be able to get up on her own power. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," he said. "Rematch?"

"Later. I'm beat." She gathered up her pads and headed with her bag out of the sparing room.

He looked to Jamie with his stunned look on his face.

"I'll be back," he told his friend and exited to catch up.

* * *

><p>Rhodey stood there in disbelief. "I guess I am working out alone today," he said to himself.<p>

* * *

><p>"Wait," Tony called out to Abygail Wickford as she was marching away and had to reach out for her before she walked into the locker room. "Why do you run?"<p>

"Oh I don't know," she replied. "Maybe I want to get out of here before a certain someone tries to chase me into his arms again."

"What is so wrong with that?"

"I don't do guys who run off constantly and always say 'I'll call you' before I can even protest," she told him. "Excuse me." She walked into the locker room.

"Look who's running now," he chuckled and walked right into the locker room behind her. There were a couple of ladies that were about to head out into the gym and stared that a guy had walked into the women's atmosphere. "And you call me out for running."

Abby screamed lightly in shock and stopped from removing her exercise top. "What are you doing in here Stark? Did you not read the sign?"

"That's what I have Pepper for," he said. "She is supposed to keep me out of places that I should not go."

She leaned toughly into her locker, causing a massive thud. "What do you want from me Stark?"

He came up to her and reached for her hand. "Second chance? That's all I want."

She was reluctant to answer, but finally did. "Well, I supposed that I do owe you since you just showed me up in there," she said. "Want to head to a local haunt of mine, drink ourselves under the table, and we'll go from there."

"Oh really?" she asked skeptically.

"My car is in the garage," he said as he was suddenly interrupted.

"Ms. Wickford," a woman entered the locker room and interrupted them. "You're late for a meeting at Corporate."

"What meeting Beth?" Abby asked.

"Your father called a meeting at the corporate office of the board members," the assistant said to her. "Good day Mr. Stark."

"I do not believe I have had the pleasure," he turned his head and walked toward the assistant with an extended hand.

"Nor will you," the assistant replied. "Mrs. Bethany Gabe, Ms. Wickford's personal assistant." She did shake his hand. "I will have the car out front and bring you in a suit to wear."

"But I didn't bring one Beth," Abby protested.

"I always keep one in the trunk to be safe," Mrs. Gabe replied before leaving the room.

Tony snorted at her bluntness.

"Can I swap your Ms. Potts for my Mrs. Gabe?" she asked.

He turned back and smiled to her. "I'd be lost without her, so I can't say that would be a fair switch," he said to her. "So I guess going out now is out of the question?"

"I reckon so," she replied as she grabbed her items from her locker. "I am open this Friday, say eight o'clock. Bring yourself and don't be late." She walked passed him, stroking a finger along his arm until she was out of sight.

"Yes ma'am," he replied with a smile on his face and headed off to workout with Rhodey.

* * *

><p>Abygail Wickford left the Spectrum Health Club and climbed into the limousine that awaited her.<p>

"I was going to come back in and get you," the person listened in with the use of a hearing device in the ear. "We're running late."

"Could you be so callous?" Wickford replied. "I am trying to make my father happy by finding someone so he has heirs to pass the company off to and you go off and ruin what time I am trying to arranging with your bossy tone."

"Tony Stark is your choice?" Mrs. Gabe said back to her boss. "You'll be putting Mr. Wickford in the grave sooner if you are selecting him."

"You're unbelievable Beth," Wickford replied while they listened in. "Gregory, HQ please and get me there fast so I can take a shower before the meeting."

The black limo pulled away from the health club and down the street to where it was soon out of visual range.

Another car pulled away from the other side of the street and continued to follow the limo back to the Teradyne Technology building.

* * *

><p><em>Hope you enjoyed that playful banter between Tony and Abby. It is really starting out to be a cutsy relationship. Cutsy is something that I just do not do, so this is only the beginning. Please continue to review and enjoy it!<em>


	4. Chapter 4 Change of Command

_Wow! The buzz for "Change my Heart" has to put it bluntly changed my heart. I have decided to devote some time to this story. However, I am trying to do this one and Stockholm at the same time, plus do my Master's Program work so I will update when I can._

_We follow Abby from the gym to her family's technology company. Enjoy and review!_

_For visuals, introducing Andrew Walker = Alec Wickford Bernard Hill (Theodin from LotR) = Alexander Wickford Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Shang Sung) = the Assassin  
><em>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Four – Change of Command<strong>

_Teradyne Technologies World Headquarters_

There was a pulse-pounding, nervous anxiety that filled the top floor boardroom on the 32nd floor of the Teradyne Technologies building in the center of town. Normally, all the people that served on the board and those that served the interests of the stockholders did not gather in this one place unless something immense was about to happen.

Old man Alexander Wickford was well into his seventies, but he also was in declining health. Ever since his wife died when his youngest child was born, he had been consumed with his business and that eventually wore down his life. He was unable to focus on anything but and it showed in his ending years.

It was assumed as many of the members knew that his eldest child Alec Wickford would be placed in charge of the company and his youngest would have some influence on the direction of it with Abygail's control of stocks.

The people that were chatting started to quiet down when Alec Wickford appeared from one of the private series of elevators in his defiant stance. He stepped off the elevator and walked in prideful form toward his chair on the left hand side of the table and just before the chair at the end.

He was the right hand man of his father.

The elevator beeped again and there came rushing the third-in-command, his sister, in a far different form than her brother. She was in the middle of twisting her hair and staking it with two black chopsticks. Her secretary was fixing her blouse over her black jacket.

She took her seat directly across from her brother once she was ready.

"Nice of you to come," he said to her.

"Nice to see you too," she said as she pulled her jacket down to get comfortable.

"Where were you?" he asked. "I had to call Bethany to tell me where you were."

"None of that is your concern," she replied. "I was at the gym getting sweaty with Darrell."

He looked to Bethany Gabe standing behind her as she was using Abby's Blackberry.

"That is where she was," Bethany relayed the same answer. "I always keep a suit in the car for her in case a meeting gets called when she is there."

"See?" she replied, grabbed the folder on the table, and shoved her head into it so not to have to talk to her brother anymore.

The elevator dinged a third time and that was when everyone stood up at the table.

It was Alexander Wickford arriving to commence the meeting. He rolled off in his state-of-the-art motorized wheelchair that was quiet as he rolled down the aisle toward the end of the table where he would be seated.

Alec had been worried about his father, but he looked forward to finally being named the head of their family's technology empire. His father suffered from severe arthritis and breathing difficulties in his age, but he still insisted that he would run his technical company until he could not endure longer.

With the way that he called the meeting in such a hurry, this was going to have something to do with the future of the company.

He rolled and came to a stop behind his daughter who had turned to face him as he came up the aisle. "My darling," Alexander greeted her.

* * *

><p>Abygail bent down and hugged her father and felt his wet lips kiss her cheek. "Welcome father," she said to him.<p>

She stood back up and held his hand as the chair proceeded to where he was.

"Help your father, will you?" he asked.

She stepped and moved the chair at the end of the table away to allow her father to park the wheelchair closer to the table and he could face the long table that spanned a good half the room.

"Greetings father," her brother welcomed him.

"Hello son," her father replied and turned to start the meeting.

"This meeting will come to order," Alec announced to the Board of Directors and snapped the gavel in front of him. "My father called this meeting and we shall hear what needs to be said."

Her father had to focus his thoughts before he spoke out to the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen," he struggled to say before he started coughing. "This damn cough." He continued coughing in pain.

She went to his side and smoothed his back in trying to calm him, which must of have helped because he began to calm down.

"Thank you my angel," he whispered to her before she took her seat next to him. "Ladies and gentlemen, as many of you know, Teradyne Technologies has been in fruition for nearly forty years in the development of new technologies when it comes to the most basic of computers to global positioning chips and software to our latest exploration, outer spatial research and weapons guidance systems for the Federal Government.

"We have had our good times and we have had our downtimes," Alexander continued, slowing and starting to get all his breath in, but wanted to make the speech short and his announcement known. "When my father acquired this company and merged the two divisions together, Adam Wickford III eventually became so corrupted by the size of the company that he lost his connection to the real world. My family and those around him who loved and cared for him.

"I am determined to not make the same mistake," Alexander got to the clinching part of his argument and Abby looked to him suddenly.

She looked to her brother who was wide-eyed and mystified at what they both thought was going to come out of his mouth.

"I lost my wife in the prime of her life and our marriage, and I have never fully recovered," he continued saying. "But my resolve has never been stronger. That is why, effective immediately; I am separating controlling powers between my son Alec and daughter Abygail." The managers and board members were starting to protest. "They will determine which of the pieces they desire to control and this company will begin to heal itself from the mockery that it has become." He reached for the gavel to use. "It is my order now," he finished before snapping it down on the table.

The meeting participants were shocked, the press secretaries were beginning to write their speeches for their briefings, and the stockholding support staff was on the phones to call the banks and financiers.

Abygail Wickford kissed her father good-bye as his nurse would take care of him while she jumped the gun to get what she wanted. She left the CEO office with Bethany while her administrative assistant jotted down notes and everything that she was saying.

"Clear my schedule for Friday," Abby was saying. "Get on the phone with Richard down at the bank and Edward down in records. I want all the production and financial records sent to my office immediately. I want to see which of the areas of Teradyne are successful and which are not."

"To ensure what?" Beth asked.

"I want the best pieces of the company to make up my fifty percent," she replied. "If there is loose fat, I want to cut it or pawn it off on Alec. I will not be the support staff and hold the hands of the shareholders."

"Abby," her brother called out to her as she was about to get on the elevator.

"Yeah bro," she said.

"I was hoping that we could get together," he suggested. "Dinner working meeting."

"Um, not tonight. I want to wait until I analyze all the statistical reports and finance records before we start divvying up who gets what."

"But…"

"No buts Alec," she said, pushing the button to go down to her office on the 25th floor. "What daddy says stands. Sorry. I'll call you and then we'll hook up, now if you will excuse me, I have a date to get ready for with some of my sorority girlfriends." The doors closed as she finished talking.

"Wonder what his problem was?" Abby grumbled.

"Just for the record, what am I clearing Friday evening for?" Beth asked her.

"Just some personal time," she replied.

"With someone?"

"Not all of my life is for you to you know Beth. I'm a big girl and can take care of myself." The doors opened and she headed off to go to her office.

* * *

><p>Alec Wickford marched into his office in a huff. He was fuming that he was not named the sole controller of the company as he was expecting his father to name him at this meeting.<p>

What was it in his sister that he felt that she needed to have some controlling interest in the company?

Abby did not want the company before and now she was going to have her piece of it because their father said so.

She would not hand over her company the willingly She had always wanted to please their father and take care of him, whereas he wanted to shove the old man into a nursing home and wait for him to die. Then he would have the company. But with the edict in place, he would have to take a different route to get things done.

He took a seat in his chair and breathed.

Now was the time for clarity. He had to figure out the best way to deal his sister and not caught; if he was to obtain his ultimate goal.

This was going to need special handling.

Alec picked up the phone and dialed a speed number on the phone and waited someone to pick up.

"This is Alec Wickford," he introduced himself when someone did answer the phone. "I need someone to take care of someone for me. Someone that can get the job done without tracing it back to me. I'll pay whatever it takes." He spun in the chair to look through his window.

* * *

><p><em><span>China<span>_

The room was dark and barely illuminated by the Chinese lantern torches along the walls. The water from the storm overhead leaked into the building causing the air to become chilled.

Several men were tied up with their hands above their heads as chains held their hands high.

Many of them were shaking with not only the cold, but also in the weakness from the blood rushing out of their hands.

Each of the men was blindfolded while women and children were huddled in the corner, freezing and hungry.

None of them knew who was to be next.

Several thugs came out and grabbed the next man in the line of prisoners. He shook with fear and was speaking in his native language as he was dragged from his current holding spot and into the unknown.

Several of them were in shock and did not know what would come of them, but from the howling screams of their fellow men, it was not going to pleasant.

"Please," one of the prisoners said in Chinese. "Spare my family. Spare me. We have nothing to give."

The men with the rifles pointed a gun at the wives and children, causing them screech in fear.

Several of the hostages that were held there begged for mercy for their wives and children.

The door was opened to the other room, light piercing into the front room.

"I thought I asked for no disturbances," the person who stood in the doorway said to them. His Chinese slid off his tongue in a seething anger.

"These dogs started begging," one of the armed men spoke in Chinese. "Why do we not just kill them all at once?"

The leader entered the room, his hand covered with golden jeweled rings adorning each finger stroke along the cabin's walls.

"Quiet death is only for those who are worthy," their leader replied. "Mercy is for the weak. Pay tribute to me and save your lives."

But his words brought no tribute or worship to him. These men continued to cower in fear, praying to their gods.

On his studded belt, a cellular phone began to ring.

"Hello," the ringed killer answered the phone.

"_I need someone to take care of someone for me_," the voice on the end of phone said. "_Someone that can get the job done without tracing it back to me. I'll pay whatever it takes_."

"You know my price," the man with the multiple rings on his hand said to the voice. "I do not take journeys for simple tasks."

"Whatever you want, you shall have," his client answered.

He closed the phone and was about to walk out of the cabin, when he heard the peasant still alive in the room pray in thanks to those he worshiped.

The man turned and blasted him with one of the rings on his hand. The prisoner was eradicated; turning into a pile of dust and bone.

The captured women and children watched as he put on a long, black duster jacket that was studded and torn.

"Clean up what remains," he ordered of his troopers.

The assassin continued out to leave for America, the echoing of gunfire and screams within.

* * *

><p><em>For those of you that are into the Marvel Universe, you must have picked up Alec's assassin. It is the Mandarin that I have chosen for that role.<em>

_Please remember to review and tell me what you think!_


	5. Chapter 5 Hope for you yet

_Hope _you enjoyed the last chapter. We now go back to Malibu with Tony. It is now Friday when...well, read and see what happens. This chapter does get a little risque, but it already has the rating for it. If you feel squeamish, there is an asterix (*) labeled to where you can skip on to the next section.

_Remember to review as I read and respond to everyone!_

_For music, listen to "Uninvited" by Alanis Morissette _

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Five – Hope for you yet<strong>

_Tony Stark's Residence_

It was a typical Friday night up-incoming and Tony Stark was sitting in his lab working on some diagnostic fixes to his Iron Man uniform. When he had gone over to the East Coast to help in diffusing a bomb, he had come under fire and obtained some damage.

Without a functioning suit, what was the point of going out anymore?

"Sir," JARVIS responded to his fire inquiry, "the calibrations to the stabilizers have been completed."

"Good," he replied. "Tell you what; is there a way of increasing the armor's durability without making it heavier than it is?"

"Without serious dismantling, I see no other option sir," JARVIS replied. "Why do you wish to increase the durability?"

"Just for personal reasons," he said. "When I am being shot at, I prefer to not have bullets piercing through the suit and getting to me. How long would a complete reconditioning be needed to perform such a task?" He fused the new stabilizer into the glove on his hand.

Pepper Potts came downstairs and entered her code that would allow her to gain entry to the laboratory. It was nearly nine PM and she was surprised to still see him there and not on his way to Abygail Wickford's for his date.

He and JARVIS were doing something to the Iron Man suit of armor from his latest battled that he went through.

"I calculate such a task would take approximately 20 – 24 hours to complete sir," JARVIS replied.

"No sooner?" Tony asked.

"I am afraid not sir," the computer replied.

"Tony, shouldn't you be gone?" she called to him.

"I have no plans for tonight," he responded, not taking his eyes off his work. "That's why I am fixing my suit and giving it a complete overhaul from the East Coast."

"You are supposed to have dinner with a certain female tonight, remember?"

Tony dropped his tools suddenly. Yeah, now he remembered.

"What time is it?"

"Your date was supposed to begin at eight and it almost quarter to nine," she told him.

He got up and ran upstairs.

"Should I get some special wine from the cellar?" she asked as he ran.

"Something really good," he shouted.

She smiled as she went to the cellar to investigate what sort of wine he had to find the perfect "I'm sorry I'm late" vintage.

* * *

><p><em><span>Abygail Wickford's condo<span>_

There was a knock to one of the huge double doors.

They were both opened and Abygail Wickford stood there in the open space.

But no one was there now.

"Unbelievable," she mumbled aloud.

"I figured that I would stand out of harm's way in case of flying feet or fists of fury," a voice called out to her.

Abby stepped out and looked to her right to see Tony Stark standing there waiting for her. She leaned against the jamb with her arms crossed. "I would never use my talents against other people," she said to him.

"Thank God," he replied.

"You on the other hand I would," she snipped back. "I was just about to clean up for the night."

"Yeah, about that. I've been researching for a while…for work and things just happened and time kept going…"

"Until your assistant finally shoved you out the door?"

"Yeah," he replied.

She stepped off the doorjamb and headed back into her residence.

He stood there until she stepped out again. "Are you coming in or should I bring everything out to you?"

Tony followed Abygail Wickford into her home. She looked so professional in her black blouse and tight fitting flares as he examined her top to bottom.

But he then saw the top she was wearing from the back. It was only secured by one black string across the back. This got him excited.

"I brought merlot from my private store to make up for it," he told her showing the wine bottle that was in his crutch.

"Are you trying to smooch up now?"

"Am I winning?"

She took the wine from him and analyzed the year and make. "There maybe hope for you yet."

They sat down at the table in the center of sitting area. He felt like he was in Japan while sitting at the short table. The food was filet mignon with some sort of vegetables mixed with it.

The food needed nuking, but it did not matter to him. At least he had finally come and she would still see him.

They drank the entire bottle of wine and started on one of hers as they shared jokes that delved deep into their personal lives, ex loves, and what their dreams were for the future.

It was the most fun that he had since they had shared that dance at the embassy a couple weeks ago.

"Well, I think that I should get going," Tony finally said to her.

"I think so too," she said to him as she attempted to get up, but tripped on the rug. She cursed and then started laughing about it.

He was laughing with her too, spitting out some of the wine when he did. "I think we had too much to drink," he told her.

"We?" she replied. "I think the answer is me had too much," she added drinking the rest of the glass that was on the table. She laughed again and fell onto her back near the fireplace.

Tony crawled around the table. "I think I had better be a gentleman and make sure that you get upstairs before you fall and break a leg because you are drunk."

"If anyone is a drunk around here, it's you Mr. Stark," she said. "This is the first time that I have not been in control of myself in a long time." Her words were lightly slurred, but it was still cute to witness.

He could not help that Abby was exceptionally good looking. She was probably the most beautiful, younger woman that he had seen or been with in a long time. The dance they shared at the embassy and the sparing match at the gym were nothing in comparison to now as he stared at her.

It was no doubt that they were playing a very serious and dangerous game with one another.

Tony Stark took a leap of faith and put his lips onto hers.

He half expected her to smack him, but instead she responded back to him and wrapped one arm around his neck to hold him there. It wasn't the first time they had kissed, but it still felt like the first time.

She moved to her side and him to the floor, their lip lock not parting, but this time he was able to feel the perspiration that covered her back as he touched her flesh.

His hands were beyond his control as he moved to undo the tie from the back of her top and one hand grasped onto the back of her head in her dark red hair.

* It was obvious where their night was going and how it was going to end as they stared at each other as they breathed and stared into each other's eyes.

She took his hand and walked backwards up the staircase towards a loft that overlooked the living room. Before reaching the top however, they were once again lip-locked. He had to shove the hanging red veil out of the way to make it into the area around the bed.

They were kneeling on the soft bed amongst the silks and dim light as their passion filled and fused them together.

Abby pulled his buttoned shirt slowly off his arms and he pulled the black top that separated her body from his.

It was very easy to remove the clothing from her body, but he was hesitant about removing the undershirt that he was wearing under his buttoned-up shirt. If he did, Abby would be able to see the glowing ARC Reactor in his chest. That, in itself, would be scary enough.

Surprisingly, she did not get scared by the glowing unit in his body. She stared at it for a second before her hands massaged down the front of his body without hesitation; passing over the reactor as though it were a part of everyone.

"Where have you been all my life?" he asked her looking into her large eyes.

"You have to remember Mr. Stark," she said to him, wrapping her arms from under his to bring her forearms to rest on his shoulders, "I am the competition after all."

He laughed and smiled at her before their mouths met yet again and he forced himself upon her to the bed. She laughed out loud in excited laughter with her hands thoroughly gripped on his hair while he was savoring her neck.

It was in her bed that the night started and finished with them in each other's arms.

L7L7L7L7L7L7L7L7L7

Around three in the morning, Tony put his clothes on so he could be on his way home. He did not want to be in the condo when her secretary or anyone else in her family returned. They did not like him as it was and to be found in the early morning with her, would be disastrous.

He reached for his jacket at the end of the bed and found himself looking at Abby again. She was still asleep, on her front side with the sheet from her bed just covering her lower half.

Gently, he took the blanket and pulled it just before her shoulders. Before leaving her side, he left a tender kiss on her shoulder.

Abby stirred and shifted, but did remain asleep.

It hurt leaving her there alone, but it was the right thing to do.

It was a short jaunt to make it home from Santa Monica, but though he was leaving her house and returning to his, it felt as though he was leaving the one person behind that could understand and accept him for who he was; other than Pep, Happy, and Rhodey of course.

Pepper and the rest of the staff were fast asleep when he returned to his Malibu home. He slowly walked upstairs to his room and reclined into the pillows while staying in the same clothes.

Her scent still remained on him, causing him to smile as he went to sleep with his hands interlaced behind his head, knowing pleasant dreams would come.

* * *

><p><em>Aw, too sweet huh. Tony may have found himself the girl of his dreams. Come on! I love the love story angle too, but I there is someone out there to get her. Remember to review and I will post again soon.<em>


	6. Chapter 6 Inferno

_Sorry about the long delay in getting the next chapters up. My muse has had me working on "Stockholm" a little too much. Then I was going to upload, but we were having problems with logging in. Well, onward to how the relationship between Abby and Tony is going to work out...or not..._

_Please review!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Six – Inferno<strong>

_Teradyne World Headquarters_

It was another day at Teradyne Technologies and Alec Wickford went about his business. He had just wanted to get his business taken care of. He needed to get his sister Abygail's portion of the company and then sell it as his agreement currently stood with the buyer.

But she was not willing to surrender, that much was true.

His sister was a vindictive bitch who was trying to take the most effective and prosperous portions of the company into her portion. If that problem was not bad enough to ruin his deal, he still needed to get all of the paperwork through.

It would just be better if she was dead.

Hence what he was planning. It would be made to look like an accident so that nothing could be drawn back to him. The money he was footing for this bill better ensure that.

On his secretary's desk, he saw the envelope that was labeled Extremely Urgent addressed to him. Alec took it and opened the contents.

It was the contract that his buyer had assembled. It was going to go through once he had the paperwork changed and his sister was gone.

He proceeded into his office and saw that his chair was looking out the large window outside.

Smoke came from someone sitting there.

"Who are you?" he asked.

The chair turned and he finally saw that it was his associate.

"Greetings Mr. Wickford," he said.

The man was draped in leather with spikes upon the shoulders. Colored rings adorned each of his fingers. He appeared to be of an oriental background with his tailored mustache that draped alongside his mouth. The black hair was slicked back along his top.

This assassin was not what he depicted he imagined.

"I take it you are my..."

The assassin gestured for him to be quiet. "Is your sister not in the building?" he asked.

"She was, but she goes out for lunch and working out," Alec replied. "We would not be paranoid, would we?"

"Paranoia is a powerful weapon and yet does not require any use of force or magic," the Chinese man said to him as rose from the chair. He took a picture frame off the desk. "Such a lovely family."

Alec saw the photo he held. It was a family photo from when the Wickford children had been just that: children. Before they started working for the company.

Then the source of the smoke had been revealed. It was a security guard who looked to have been roasted from the inside out.

"I see that you have a magical touch," he said. "Think you could make my sister disappear in the same fashion?"

"Not in the same way," the mysterious assassin moved. "Why would you want to kill something so lovely as your baby sister."

"Because my father wants to take what is rightfully mine," he told him. "I want her part of the company as I plan on selling everything for triple the value and cashing in on new technology mixed with some insider trading. All I need for you to do is make it look like she died in an accident," Alec said slamming the papers on the desk. "Her death must not be tied to me."

The man stared at one of his many rings on his hand. "Your request is not unheard of," the assassin said. "I will see that little Abygail goes to bed and never awakens."

"I can lend you some of my contacts that could assist you."

The Mandarin looked at him, wagging a finger while clicking his tongue. "I will use them to strike a diversion, but if you want to ensure your sister sleeps, I will tend to her myself."

"I like your style," he replied and sat back in the chair.

* * *

><p><em><span>Nightfall<span>_

In the Mexicantown area of Malibu, an abandoned grocery store in a state of disrepair suddenly imploded.

People went screaming into the streets at the sudden explosion.

Firetrucks responded to the fire, trying to put it out before it spread to other buildings.

Not too far away, a school suddenly imploded.

Several miles down the road, an old used car lot suddenly added fuel to an already presently explosive situation. Each car had fuel and set off a melee of fireworks and implosions.

The next to go was a museum that was featuring a display of the Imperial Empire. The fire burned slowly, searing and destroying the banners all around.

Two more abandoned buildings also became victims apparently of some sort of firebug.

* * *

><p><em><span>Tony Stark's residence<span>_

It had been an already contentious day at Stark Industries, and Tony was passed out on his desk; a half-drunk scotch resting in his semi-opened hand.

He was lightly sleeping, trying to work on some upgrade designs, but he could not seem to keep his eyes open.

But the alarms went off and JARVIS sounded loudly. "Sir," the AI called. "Sir, you are needed."

"I'm up," he said all groggy and intoxicated, unable to get up.

"Sir!"

Tony sat up sharply at the loud noise.

Then he was really focused when Pepper appeared at the door and accessed the lab.

"There you are!" she shouted. "You have to see it. There are explosions all over the city. There is a huge arsonist on the move."

"Arsonist," he said. "What is on fire?"

"Multiple places," she said. "JARVIS can you pull up a map of the city?"

"At once ma'am," the computer voice told her.

The map appeared and started to glow with where the fires had already started.

Santa Monica was turning into a towering inferno of horror.

Where would the next one erupt?

* * *

><p><em>A little bit of tension for you. What could these fires mean? You will know soon enough. Proceed to Chapter 6...if you dare<em>. _Do not forget to review!_


	7. Chapter 7 Bring the Rain

_Here is Chapter Seven, the continuation of Chapter Five's "Inferno." It gets really dicey so hang on. Please review after this one._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Seven – Bring the Rain<strong>

_Abygail Wickford's condo _

Abygail Wickford jogged down Wilshire Boulevard, her IPod's music pumping in her ears. She kept it at a brisk pace to get her workout out in. Her trainer Darrell had canceled on her; on the account that his wife went into labor. The brisk jog through Santa Monica would suffice.

The DO NOT WALK light was illuminated, but she jogged in place to keep her heart pumping.

People and children that walked the street were watching her as she hopped up and down in place. She looked down and smiled at them.

The sign changed to WALK and she proceeded across to get to her building. She noticed four fire engines, blaring their sirens as they went racing down the street. She thought it was interesting, but continued on her way.

Her regular doorman was there.

"Welcome back Ms. Wickford," Ricky said to her.

"Thank you Ricky," she greeted him while using the building to stretch out her legs and spine.

"Going out this evening?" he asked.

"Nah. Going to stay in. Order some dinner."

"Very good. I'll keep your car parked then."

"Good thinking," she replied and headed for her elevator to go upstairs.

Another couple, the Perkins, climbed into the elevator, but they got off two floors below and she continued upward.

Once in the safety of her condo, she used the remote to turn on the music and headed upstairs to take a shower; shedding her clothes along the way.

The hot water was luxurious against her skin as she rinsed off of all the sweat that covered her. The radiant scent of her soap filled her senses with lavender and jasmine which would put her to sleep.

* * *

><p>The door to the condo was opened with the use of the keycard and the person entered. The hand was covered in multiple rings with different symbols as they entered.<p>

The Mandarin walked into the room, observed the surrounding of the cozy home of Abygail Wickford, and looked around for her.

Several men from Alec Wickford's mob unit walked in behind him. They had cans of gasoline and explosives that would continue in the fires that had already encompassed the city.

He signaled to one group to head into the kitchen and the other group to proceed forward into the living space.

The hitmen started spreading the gasoline on the furniture, curtains, and in the office area.

He was looking and heard water running. He also saw a wind jacket was lying on the floor at the top of the stairs.

Abygail Wickford must be upstairs and he decided to join her.

* * *

><p>Abby finished with her shower and shut off the water. She reached for her towel to dry off in the shower.<p>

Once dry, she stepped out of the shower and brushed out her wet strands. Her hair was somewhat gnarled, but she got through it.

She stroked on a little lotion on her shoulders before slipping on her nightdress.

* * *

><p>One of the henchmen, who was pouring a long trail of gasoline on the floor, collided with one of his partners and fell to the floor.<p>

That did not cause too much noise, but the metal can did clang loudly on the kitchen floor.

The Mandarin was angry at the noise.

* * *

><p>Abby heard a loud noise coming from the main area of the condo and was shocked. Was someone in her home?<p>

She did not want to leave the bathroom in case someone was in the house and she alone, but she knew that no one could access her floor without a special pass to the elevator.

But what was it?

Slowly, she walked out of the bathroom and crept along the wall into her bedroom. She made it there and reached into her nightstand where she did keep every girl's best friend: a 9mm pistol. There was a clip in the gun already and she got it ready.

She crawled on the floor and made her way to the loft wall. It was there that she saw what was going on.

There were at least five men that were spreading gasoline on her property, furniture, and personal affects.

"What are they doing?" she mumbled.

"Looking for you," a voice said from behind.

Abby stood sharply, but then there was a sudden pain in her chest. She could not think or control her body in all the pain that went through her.

* * *

><p>The Mandarin held Abygail Wickford in his arms gently, a child in his grasp with the hand-mounted spike that thinly inserted itself through her chest.<p>

She gripped onto his arms hard and dropped the pistol she had been holding to the floor.

He shh'ed her with a finger to her lips. "Sorry my dear, but you will be the only fatality tonight," he whispered to her before leaving a gentle kiss on her mouth.

She collapsed softly into his arms, but he lifted her up to put her in her bed.

It was all according to his plan. Injure Ms. Wickford so she would not be able to escape, and neatly tuck her into her bed so she would appear to have slept through the fire.

She was so delicate as he left her there and went to the railing to look over to the thugs who were gathering up everything they needed.

"How goes?" he asked.

"We're all set," one of the men said. "Do your stuff."

The Mandarin lifted his left hand and the ring on his index finger illuminated. He said something in his native tongue and a fireball left the ring and struck near the sofa.

The living room slowly became an inferno, following the liquid trail of gasoline. It found its way around to the curtains, the furniture, and the kitchen; all of it.

"Everyone out," one of the thugs said and they grabbed the cans before getting out.

"Yes," he sneered intending to wait out till the last second to make sure the job was done.

* * *

><p><strong>Tony Stark's Residence<strong>

Tony Stark bounded down the stairs to return to the lab once he had sobered up and caught the news of the fires on his television. He knew that the City of Santa Monica was going to need Iron Man. He had to make sure that he was ready in case the city needed him.

Even if they didn't ask, he would still want to offer his aid if they needed it.

Pepper was down in the lab using the computer. She had several of the three dimensional monitors opened as well as one in the center that was being used a radar screen. She was frantically typing and getting JARVIS to perform a variety of tasks while she was when he entered the lab.

"JARVIS, give me a location on that latest fire," she ordered.

"At once ma'am," JARVIS replied. "It appears a dormitory complex has erupted near the college campus."

"What's going on?" Tony asked as he arrived to the console.

"These explosions and fires illuminating the skies of Santa Monica are everywhere," she replied, still typing. "Seven right now…" She paused as another glowing blip made its appearance. "Make that eight."

"Where are they call coming from?" he asked. "Gas line? Environmentalists?"

"That's what JARVIS is trying to isolate," she said. "Rhodey is on his way as well, in an Air Force capacity. He needed to lead the air squadron in dumping water on the sites."

An ninth explosion rang out.

"Sites are located Ms. Potts," JARVIS replied. "Assembling list on Screen Three."

The list of those locations that were burning was displayed.

"Let's see," Tony said as he was scanning the list, "we have a used car lot, an abandoned building, a church being renovated, a warehouse on the docks, and a natural history museum… These are completely random." He looked to the radar screen in the middle. "Look at it though Pep. It's forming a ring."

"A ring, really?" she asked.

He drew the line on the finger and as it traced along an eighth and ninth explosion rang out just as he was reaching those spots.

"The other explosions sir," JARVIS replied, "are at a Chinese Market in Chinatown and a dorm room at Santa Monica College."

"Look Tony," Pepper said and pointed. "If this is going to complete a ring, there is one more to go."

Tony pulled up his chair and started typing frantically to get the computer to isolate the explosions, monitor hospital reports, and military radio channels. "JARVIS, I need you to give an approximate estimate as to the next fire and pinpoint where the last one is going to be," he ordered. "We have to find a connect…"

Finally the ring connected at the last location, a high-rise along the coastline. The fire appeared on the satellites indicating to the heat that a military unit was able to detect it.

"Sir, final explosion connection detected," JARVIS told him. "The explosion has completed the ring around Santa Monica."

"Where was the final explosion?" he asked.

"Triangulating with a map of area now," he said.

His heart filled with dread when he saw the final explosion rang out and it was indeed as JARVIS just pulled it up when a large fireball appeared on the location map and address.

It was Abygail's condo.

"I'm gone," he shouted and raced to the Interlocking platform to become his heroic ego.

"Tony," Pepper tried to stop him as he was getting suited up. "Tony, you don't even know if she is there. She might not be there."

"I can't take that risk," he replied. "I'm going to go check. Worse comes to worse, I'll help put it out."

The suit was fully locked in and the helmet clicked down over his face.

Faster than he had ever taken off out of the house, Iron Man was airborne over Malibu and heading South toward Santa Monica.

During flight, he had JARVIS calling Abby's home, but she did not answer. Her answering machine finally picked up, but he did not leave a message.

"Call Bethany Gabe," he called as he was drawing closer to the explosions and flames by the way smoke was flying. He could see it in the distance.

"Abygail Wickford's office, this is Bethany Gabe," the assistant answered the phone.

"Yeah, this is Tony Stark. I was looking for Abygail Wickford. Tell her it is an emergency," he asked.

"I'm sorry, but Ms. Wickford has adjourned for the evening Mr. Stark," Ms. Gabe replied. "She went back to her residence over two hours ago."

"Did you happen to have noticed the explosions that are ringing throughout the city Ms. Gabe?" he asked. "One of them has struck the building where your boss is living."

"Are you serious?"

"Would I be flying to get there if I wasn't?" he asked before disconnecting the line.

* * *

><p>Bethany Gabe turned on the television and saw the breaking news report of explosions burning through the city. They had helicopters all over the place and she saw that indeed Tony Stark was correct.<p>

The address of her boss's condo appeared on the screen. She looked as a camera helicopter crew was shooting down and it was the condo.

What was she going to do if Abygail was inside?

* * *

><p><em>Flight<em>

From the Air Force base, a P-2 Neptune raced down the runway and lifted off into the air in heading for the fires that had blanketed the area.

Col. James Rhodes was at the helm as he piloted his way toward the smoke and flames that were coming from Santa Monica.

"This is Colonel Rhodes on approach vector to Santa Monica wildfires," he called into the radio.

"Roger that Colonel Rhodes," the air dispatcher responded to him. "Proceed with extinguishing procedures."

As he was flying, Rhodey eventually watched as Iron Man raced passed him.

He twisted the radio frequency to their private channel and knew that he would be able to channel it with Tony flying by him. "Tony, what are you doing here?"

Iron man looked to him. "The fires," Tony said. "I have a friend who might be in one of them."

"Where?" he asked.

"Southshore Tower," Tony answered. "I'm going after her. You take care of the other buildings."

"Copy that. Be careful Tony."

"See you there," Tony replied and took off faster as he approached the tallest building. His friend became stationary and looked to the fire as he flew off to take care of the fire at the college.

* * *

><p>Tony watched as Rhodey went to put out his own fire and saw that the top floor where Abby's condo was located was completely ablaze. The windows were bursting under the strain of the heat, causing infernos to lick at the clouds outside.<p>

"JARVIS, contact local fire and rescue and tell them to get a helicopter over to her condo immediately," he ordered of the computer.

"They have been summoned sir," JARVIS replied, "but they are already severely strained due to the previous fires."

"Tell them to make this one a priority. There are people living in this building JARVIS!"

He plunged downward and crashed through the ceiling to the hard marble floor. He was in the area that was outside of her condo doorway where he had been days ago.

"Sir," JARVIS said. "We will not be able to maintain functionality in these heated conditions."

He noticed that the door was blocked by intense amounts of burning debris.

"How long?" he asked making his way down the hall.

"Less than ten minutes," the computer replied.

"Plenty of time," he grumbled and arrived to the debris.

Iron Man lifted the burning beam from blocking the door and kicked them open to gain access to the condo. The entire place was ablaze. Her carpet and furniture all burned alive, but he did not see Abby.

Maybe she was not there and Bethany Gabe had been mistaken.

"JARVIS, scan for life forms," he ordered as his body was becoming increasingly hot in the armored uniform. The heat would not allow him to maintain consciousness for long.

JARVIS scanned the room and found a life-force in the bedroom of the condo loft. "Sir, I am detecting a faint heartbeat coming from the upstairs," he replied.

Tony blasted off and dove over the railing that led to the loft. He rushed over where he had just been two nights previous was burning.

But it was also there that he found a body lying in the bed. By the color of the nightdress that they were wearing, it looked like Abby.

"Abby," he called and made it through the curtains of flames to the bedside. It was indeed Abby lying there. "Abby, babe, we got to go." He tried motioning her to awaken, but she was not responding. "Abby," he said her name again before turning her onto her back.

It was there that he saw that she had been stabbed in the chest.

That meant only one thing: this fire was not an accident.

"No!" he howled. "JARVIS!"

"I'm detecting a heart rate sinking below eighty-eight beats a minute," the computer told him. "She will not make it without medical attention."

"Come on Abs," he said as he picked her up in his arms, wrapping her in the blanket that she was covered in. "We're going to cooler pastures."

He carried her and leapt over the railing at a sprint. The fire had been burning for so long that he nearly sunk through to the next floor from the impact. Quickly recovering though, he got level and searched for the best way to get her out of the apartment in a hurry.

"Sir, you have never sustained flight while carrying someone," JARVIS told him. "We have yet to test flight without use of stabilizers."

"No time like the present," Tony replied, but then his eyes met with someone standing at the windowed wall.

The man was wearing all black and stood there as if there were no flames around him.

"I take it you are her champion," the man said to him.

"Who are you?" Tony demanded to know. He had to have something to do with this by the way he stood.

"Another time," the man said as he fell backwards out the window, shattering it.

Tony rushed over to the window and watched as the man used something that mirrored one of his stabilizers on his hands and used it to glide and guide himself to the ground. Soon, he was out of sight.

"Sir, I have to caution against this motion," JARVIS said.

"Dually noted," he said, "but I am not leaving her here to die."

Tony took the blanket, slung it around his neck, and tied it tightly. She was a baby being held in a knapsack, but he kept her close to him.

He dove out of the window and guided himself down toward the ground. Abby's body remained on his arms, but he kept his hands down to use the stabilizers to fly.

Gently, he turned them out towards the front of him and was able to slowly and unsteadily fly with Abby lying on him.

"I got you girl," he told her. "I got you."

Abby did stir somewhat in the cooler breeze, but it was still not going to be enough. She needed medical attention and she needed it now.

* * *

><p><strong>UCLA – Santa Monica Hospital<strong>

The doctors and emergency department at Santa Monica UCLA hospital were overwhelmed with victims of the arson that was going on through the city. Many came in with smoke inhalation or minor burns.

Many of them were thankful that no one had been killed yet.

The dispatch nurse at the counter was funneling calls to reroute patients to other hospitals because they were simply overbooked and stretched too thin.

"UCLA," a voice came over the radio.

The nurse answered. "This is UCLA," she said. "What is your ID number?'

"This is Iron Man," the voice said.

"Very funny," the nurse said. "You need to get off this signal as it needs to be reserved for emergencies?"

"What do you think I am doing?" he said. "I have burn and stabbing victim from the fires. I need someone on the roof to retrieve her."

"I again repeat, you need to get off this signal as it needs to be…"

"Hey," one of the Interns said as he rushed inside. "I just saw Iron Man flying in this direction."

The nurse was appalled at her behavior. "Sir, go ahead and land. We'll be there."

L7L7L7L7L7L7L7L7L7L7L7L7

Several doctors with a stretcher were on the helicopter landing pad as Iron Man landed as gracefully as he could, but he did have a body resting on his arms.

He finally did land with a hard thud and they came close to him. "She needs help," the hero said to them. "Found her in a fire, but she has a serious stab wound."

A doctor was there and tested her heart with a stethoscope. "How long has she been bleeding?" he asked.

"I found her ten maybe fifteen minutes ago," Iron Man told them. "I don't know how long she has been like this before I got to her."

"What's her name?" the doctor asked. "Do you know?"

"Wickford. Abygail Wickford," he told them.

"Alright, trauma one," the doctor ordered the people that were with him. "Let's get her inside now."

Tony Stark felt helpless as they took Abby away from him inside the hospital. He could not go inside in the armor and he should help out with the putting out of the fires around the city.

But his heart was here and telling him to stay here.

He lifted off from the helipad to go home so he could get out of the armor and get back to the hospital before anything happened to her and he was not back to hear it.

* * *

><p><em>Oh no, Abby! Please review and find out if she survives. If you have been reading Stockholm and Storms Within, you already know the answer, but just in case.<em>


	8. Chapter 8 Falling Hard

****_Thank you for your continuing interest in "Change my Heart." We take you now back to UCLA: Santa Monica where Tony dropped off young Abby Wickford after her rescue._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eight - Falling hard<strong>

The fires were finally under control and Jamie Rhodes was finally able to escape the Air Force Base and get out to UCLA: Santa Monica Medical Center where Tony asked him to come.

Something about his new girl had nearly been killed in one of the fires.

Who would want to kill Abygail Wickford? She had not caused anyone to hate her. Nor had she sold weapons or technology to terrorists as his friend Tony Stark had learned when he had been captured a year ago.

Wickford was innocent and caused no harm to anyone.

Not worth killing, he thought.

He arrived to the hospital and parked his truck before running inside.

The guard at the desk was not about to let him pass the security point.

"My friend is back there," he lied, never meeting Abby before but calling her friend. "I need to make sure that she OK."

"I already have one person back there for Ms. Wickford," the pudgy guard said to him. "I cannot allow it to become a free-for-all."

"OK," Jamie said and pulled out his military ID. "Will this do?" and showed him the badge.

"Sir, yes, sir," the guard said and opened the door for him. "Cardiac Intensive Care is down the hall, follow the signs."

"Thank you officer," he said before he left and rushed down the hall.

He jogged at a brisk pace, following the signs, and found the CICU Waiting Room.

Looking through the window, he found Tony reclined on one of the couches, trying to sleep. He was no doubt drained from helping with the fires, but he also had to go back home, strip off of the suit and then drive back here. It would have taken a lot out of him.

"Hey," Rhodey said as he lightly shook him.

Tony did open his eyes and look around before making eye-contact with him.

"Rhodey," he said his name.

"How are you Tony? You look worn out."

"That's the look I was going for," Tony replied as sat up.

"How long have you been here?"

Tony tried looking to the clock and then to his watch. "I got Abygail here at nine-thirty and then I got back here about eleven PM."

"You've been here almost three and half hours after fighting some of the fires and then going back home so you could come back here? Why man?"

"I don't think the hospital staff would want a clunking man of metal sitting in their waiting room."

"What is it with this girl?" James wanted to know.

"She's the girl that I was sparring with at the gym when she breezed by you," his friend told him. "We've kind of been seeing each other for a couple weeks. I hate to admit it Rhodey, but I'm falling and falling hard."

"Well I would certainly hope so if you are willing to risk your life to go in and get her from a raging fire. Have you heard anything?"

Tony shook his head. "How about you? Do you know who started the fires?"

"The police and fire arson investigators are taking over the investigation," he told him. "It has to be with the way they formed a ring around the city and then…" He didn't get to finish his statement because the doctor entered the operating room.

The doctor was of a foreign decent, but young. His green scrubs were covered in fluid and blood; no doubt from Abby's surgery.

"Are you here for Abygail Wickford?" the doctor asked.

"I am," Tony replied. "How is she? Is she OK?"

"I am Doctor Darien Eisenberg," the doctor introduced himself. "I am Chief of Cardiology here at the hospital. We took Ms. Wickford in upon your arrival and we were able to ascertain the damage to her body."

"And?" he asked.

"Ms. Wickford was stabbed in the lower left ventricle area which has caused severe damage to her heart," the doctor was explaining, while showing on his body where she had been stabbed. "We were able to repair the damage, but she is not running at complete functionality. In a matter of days, her heart will fail."

Tony was beside himself. "Is there anything that can be done in order to save her?" he asked.

"We have one chance, a long shot, but a chance nonetheless," the doctor said. "We have received permission to install what is known as an LVAD system or Left Ventricular Arterial Device. It is a portable heart pump that will keep her heart beating until we can get a new heart."

"Wait, she needs a new heart?" Rhodey asked.

"Without one, she will surely not live more than three months," the doctor finished. "We are awaiting the arrival of the unit and then we will install it. There is a possibility that the heart can repair itself and restore to it strength, but that is a thousand and one chance of that happening. Her blood type is AB negative and hearts of that blood type are very rare. We are having the real possibility of Ms. Wickford dying within the next few months."

Tony could no longer stand up and sat down to think. _Abby…dying. No, there was no way that she could die. She was going to be all right_. "Can I see her please?" he asked.

"She's in the surgical preparatory," Eisenberg said to him as he checked his pager. "Check with a nurse at the Nurses' Station and find out if she has been moved or when she is scheduled for surgery. The best time would be when she is moved to her room in the CICU unit. You can probably meet her up there. I'm sorry gentlemen; I have another call to take."

Tony was upset at the news. He did not know what made him more upset: the fact that she was dying or the fact that he feared their involvement together may have gotten her killed.

"I got her killed Rhodey," he blurted out.

"No you didn't Tony," Rhodey told him. "You didn't know that someone was going to be setting fires all over Santa Monica or the fact that Abby was going to be at home. You said it yourself, she would normally be at her martial arts class when the fires started. It was purely coincidental."

"How do you know?"

"The locations of each fire are completely random. None of them have any connection with each other." Rhodey was trying to come up with yet another conspiracy theory before the investigation was even completed. "There is no telling if they or the arsonist knew that she was going to be home."

"She was stabbed Rhodey!" Tony shouted standing up. "The fire was meant to cover it up, I know it."

"And what about the other fires Tony," he replied. "They set ten fires in a ring formation just to hide the murder of one business executive."

Tony stopped listening when he heard the statement of 'ten fires' and 'in a ring formation' come from his friend's mouth. That made some sense to him.

Ten…Ring

The Ten Rings; the terrorist group that kidnapped him over a year ago in order to force him to build a Jericho Missile for them to use in their violent attacks. He had instead of making them a missile made his Mark I Iron Man suit in order to escape from captivity.

What if they were back? What if they were now going to attack the people he knew and loved because of what he had done? He had learned that Obadiah Stane had hired them to kill him before, but why would they now after nearly a year of time passing?

And why Abby? Was it because they had been spending their time together? What was going on?

"I'm going to find Abby," Tony said to get out of arguing with his friend further. "Let me know when you find out who did this because I personally want to be the ones to blast them to kingdom come."

And with that he was walking down the hall to get to the nearest Nurses' Station so he could get some word on Abby.

The nurses must have thought him to be attractive because they granted him access to the Surgical Preparatory Area where he was able to find the woman he loved in her sleeping state.

Abby Wickford was peacefully asleep on oxygen and was prepped for her future surgical procedure that she would be getting as soon as that LVAD thingy showed up. She seemed peaceful, but he knew that she was no doubt suffering and sleep was the only way to avoid the pain.

Tony reached out and took the tube and IV covered hand that belonged to the woman he cared about. She gave a light stir, but remained asleep.

He gave her hand another quick squeeze and that time she did awaken and turn to face him.

"Tony," she said his name.

"Hey," he said as he pulled up one of the doctors' rolling stools and took a seat beside Abby. He massaged her hand and kept it tightly secured in his grasp. He did not want to let her go.

The words that her doctor had said like _dying_ and _a few months_ were not sitting with him too well and he wanted to make sure that she knew that he was here and he would spend every moment with her.

"Did you save me?" she asked him.

He smoothed her clumped strands away from her face and stared into her eyes. "It's what we heroes do," he replied. "We protect those that we know and love."

"I guess I should feel privileged to be in that company," she smiled and said to him.

"You're on my short list of people that I would do everything in my power to save."

"I feel so weak," she said. "The last thing I remember was when I saw those men dumping accelerant on my furniture and I turned around and then there was pain…terrible pain."

"You were stabbed by an assassin who was using the fire of your condo in order to cover up your murder."

"Murder? Do you think someone tried to have me…" She was in pain and put her hand on her heart to calm down the shock that she was in. "I can't believe that."

"It doesn't matter how things happened," Tony said to her. "I'm not going to go anywhere so I can protect you. I promise."

"Actually that is exactly what you are going to do Stark," a voice called out from behind him.

Tony turned and looked to the big guards in suits and the ailing man in the motorized wheelchair. These people could only be the Executive Protection Unit of Alexander Wickford; Abby's father.

"Do what?" he asked.

"You're going to leave my precious Abygail and our family alone," Alexander Wickford said to him in an ordering tone. "I don't care what it costs me, if it keeps you away I will pay it."

"No daddy," Abby cried and tried to sit up, but a sharp pain went through her.

He helped her to calm down and get comfortable.

"It's not worth it love," he said to her. "I'll go."

"No," she begged as she reached out for his arm to grab. "I need you here…with me. Please daddy, don't force him to leave."

"Abby, you are not in your right mind because of the pain medication," Wickford replied. "I am your agent as per your Will and Power of Attorney and I am ordering your Mr. Stark to leave and stay away from my daughter for good."

Tony did not want to listen to this old codger who was trying to keep him and Abby apart. But in order to keep her calm and to keep her in good health, he would comply; for now.

He took her hand and kissed the inside of her palm and put it to his face before he let it go.

Abby kept her hand there even though her strength was fading and he pulled away.

Finally, they were parted and he passed the old man, but stopped briefly. "You know that you can keep me away from her, but will you be able to keep her away from me?" he dared the elder Wickford.

"I welcome her attempt and when she does, I will lock her in a hospital where you will never find her ever again," Wickford whispered.

Tony took one last glance at Abby who was crying and finally did leave the room.

The door closed and they were finally parted for the first time.

He was walking calmly through the hallway and noticed a team of technicians were rushing in his direction.

As they passed by, he saw the large container that they were carrying.

It read HeartMate II – LVAD – Left Ventricular Assist Device across the box.

That was the machine that the doctor was waiting for before he could begin the surgery. They were taking it to the room where Abby would soon be cut open and have it installed.

Hopefully, her odds were good and she would be the "one" whose heart would recover from the wound and survive without a heart transplant.

Tony Stark arrived to the car that Rhodey had ordered Happy to come to the hospital so he could be driven home.

* * *

><p><em>A sad moment, but at least she is going to have a little time to recover. Let's see if Tony can "stay away." Remember to review!<em>


	9. Chapter 9 Shelter my thoughts

_Here is Chapter Nine so enjoy. _

_Two songs for your musical enjoyment: When Abby escapes, it is Cady Grove's "This Little Girl." and when Tony and Abby are dancing, it is "Listen to your heart" (Edmee's unplugged version)_

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><p><strong>Chapter Nine: Shelter my thoughts<strong>

It had been a long couple of days that Abby Wickford was contained within the hospital. Her doctor, Darien Eisenberg was ensuring that the LVAD system connected to her heart was working adequately.

Once she had proven that she could walk a mile on the treadmill, she was released to her home.

Alexander, her father, ordered that she be remanded into their home. The mansion that they owned was located behind tall garden walls in Beverly Hills. It would be a fortress to keep her secured.

Outside UCLA, a Teradyne limousine was awaiting to pick up the patient from the hospital and from the emergency room parking lot, a silver AUDI sat patiently.

Tony watched from the car with the window down. He wanted to monitor and watch to see if his lover's killer would make an attempt at her, being she was out in the open.

Her brother Alec ordered his sister to get into the car. Abby protested at first, but with a little showing of force, mainly from Charles the guard, she climbed into the car.

As the black vehicle passed him, Tony ducked down in the car to prevent from being seen.

He followed them to the house where the Wickfords called home. He could understand why Abby wanted to live in the city from this repressive prison.

Tony could not proceed further so he turned around and went home.

* * *

><p>Abygail Wickford spent her days and nights at the request of her father and under the watchful stares of the guards and servants who made sure she did not go anywhere. Her childhood suite of a bedroom was her prison, but at least it had a killer view. She could look out at the cul-de-sac as the traffic came and went.<p>

Her father insisted that she remain in her prison for the preservation of her health. He said that they were looking for a heart for her. Being that her blood type however was AB negative, it was a rare type almost impossible to find.

Basically, they would have to kill someone in order to replace it. Another option was the black market, but to wait on a transplant list, her father would not have it.

It was the middle of the morning when she was doing her meditation with Darrell. At least he had been allowed to come and visit and keep her body trained. The meditation would be the one thing that keeps her insane.

Her cellular phone started to buzz next to her, but she ignored the first set. She was trying to enjoy this meditation.

When it buzzed a second and third time, she looked down at the message that was being left.

It was from Tony Stark.

Darrell had opened his eyes to see if she was still relaxing. "Who is it?" he asked.

"Just a dear friend," she replied and got back to her meditative state. It hurt calling Tony just a friend, but she needed to relax and not be under any stress.

However, once she was alone, Abby looked to the text messages.

**Your father not the only one looking. Looking for new 3 as well. **

**Come 2 me whenever you are going crazy. **

**Oh yeah, 3 little words...I think you know.**

Abby laughed and went to have her sponge bath. She started her replies to him.

* * *

><p><em><span>Tony Stark's residence<span>_

The glass bottle poured the golden liquid into his glass. He was tired and rundown with not only assisting in putting out the fires, but also in his regular callings for aid.

Now it was back to his new hobby: searching for a new heart for a possible match for his new squeeze.

He couldn't help himself. This girl had hit him and hit him hard. She was beautiful, smart, and charismatic. Basically him in a female's body.

He also felt responsible. That villain, whomever he was, no doubt targeted her because of their relationship. The only way he could find some sort of redemption was to find her a heart.

Tony took another swig of the scotch and found that it bit him hard. He became very dizzy and tried to stand up. He found that he walked a couple of feet and stumbled.

"Wow, that was...whew," he said. He made it to the wet bar where he splashed water on his face.

He had to honestly look at his face. His skin was sagging, his trademark facial hair needed to be trimmed, and his eyes were surrounded in a delicate shade of bloodshot red.

Had this scotch gone bad or was he just working too hard.

Stanton's words rang in his mind when he accused him of drinking too much.

He did not have a drinking problem and if he did, he could stop it. It is just too stressful at work right now and in trying to be Iron Man and find a new heart for Abby, the alcohol just helped him to relax.

"I do not have a problem," he said.

The phone on his desk started ringing, the tone from the dance they shared.

Tony had sent numerous text messages to Abygail, but she did not answer him. Was she avoiding him or had they stolen her phone too?

What would his phone say?

He walked to the desk, but did not look at it immediately.

Taking a deep breath, he looked to the phone.

**What is the policy of the 3-words in times like this?**

Tony typed back "**When u truly mean it?**"

There was a brief pause...followed by **I 3 u**.

And that brought a skip to his step as he headed back to the desk to do some more research.

* * *

><p><em><span>Wickford Estate - Three days passed<span>_

"I am going to go and take a nap," Abby's voice told someone from within the house, "and please do not disturb me."

"As you wish Ms. Wickford," a servant replied.

She closed her door, but a nap is what she would not be taking. Abby reached for her purse, pulled on her denim jacket, and flung the LVAD strap over her body.

The hallways were fairly empty, minus the occasional servant or worker. Quietly, she moved down the hall and walked down a set of servants' passage stairs and made her way to the main floor of the house.

Moving down the hallway and ducking into rooms before she could be seen, Abby Wickford moved with stealth. She felt like a child trying to get to the cookie jar and steal a treat; a game that she and her brothers would play on the nursemaid Georgia long ago.

The only treat she would be absconding is freedom from her prison.

Slipping into the half bath, Victor the chef went into the butler's pantry to retrieve some items for whatever he was cooking. She slipped out and went down the staircase to the garage.

Abby hid off to the side so that the mechanic that was working on a car in the garage did not see her. She moved swiftly, grabbing a set of keys from the container on the wall, and observed which car she would be taking. Great, the Porsche, she said. Now they definitely would find out that she was gone.

She sprung up and exchanged the keys for another set. The Corvette. "Much better," she whispered.

Moving quietly, she made her way to the gunmetal trimmed black sports car. The door opened with her beeping the clicker and she slipped in. Thankfully the windows were tinted and no one would know she was gone until it was too late.

The mechanic turned to go inside and Abygail started the car. He was too late before he could see the car racing out of the motor-pool garage, out the servants' path, and onto the main road.

She was free at last and sat up straight in the seat. Racing down the freeway with her music blasting loudly and the wind in her hair, Abby acknowledged how freedom never felt so good.

Using the Onstar button in her car, she needed to find a place to hideout for a while. To get away from the repression. If she did not get away, she was going to axe murder someone.

"Thank you for calling OnStar. This is Stanley. How can I assist you today Ms. Wickford?"

"Yes Stanley, you can find an address for me and get me there," she answered the voice through her speakers.

Within the hour, her black Vette pulled up outside the large white mansion that Tony Stark called home. She was not able to get through the main gate right away, but waited for a car to leave and then snuck in before it closed.

Abygail Wickford climbed out of her vehicle and carefully walked toward the front door. She had not told Tony that she was coming over, but she did know that he lived on the beach in Malibu. It was large and white that overlooked the beach. She could not believe the killer view he had. At least this would be a place where she could breathe.

With her father and brother out of the country, it made it easier for her plan to work. Telling everyone she was going to nap and locked the door to her room was genius while she stole one of the family rides. It would take some time for them to find her, so she felt the drive to Malibu would be worth it.

She walked up the door and knocked, but no one answered. She decided that she would just try opening the door.

The door opened up and she slowly entered through it.

"Hello," she softly called in the echoing room. Still no one answered.

She peered around the house and saw that there was no one around. The waterfall that poured and created a wall to hide the stairs.

"Tony," she called his name.

She looked down the steps and watched as a shadow walked passed a long wall of glass. There was someone down in the basement.

Abby slowly walked down the steps toward the wall.

It was there that she saw the truth at last.

* * *

><p>Tony was discussing something with his assistant whom she believed was Pepper Potts and she hid off to the side of the glass to watch.<p>

"I need to find out who set these fires," Tony shouted. "Someone wanted to make sure that Abygail was killed, but to hide it underneath a façade of destruction."

"I know, but she is OK now," Pepper told him. "We'll get whoever did this. You need to get going for the charity ball at the Venetian Crystal Hall."

"Who said I was going?" he replied as he grabbed a wrench and went over to his suit on the platform. "I have some upgrades and repairs to the suit before I can even think about doing anything else."

"Oh I don't know, other than the fact that you are supposed to be getting an award for environmental excellence with the building of the ARC plant," she tried to get him interested in leaving, but he was on the floor underneath the chest armor, working to weld a new piece of cooling equipment into the mainframe.

"So?" he replied as he put in the circuit breaker into the suit.

"Well, you want to be the champion of the people, so to go to a convention to receive an award for Environmental Productivity, you would want to go?"

"I did not accept the Apogee Award when I got it," Tony said. "Why do you not go in my place? Give you a chance to get away from me for a while, dress-up, and have a good time while I work."

"That's not right Mr. Stark and you know it," she replied. "I am not you."

"Tell them I am sick," he said. "Tell them I am working at the new plant, I don't know…"

There was a knock to the glass wall and they both looked in the direction of who had done it.

Tony was shocked to see Abygail Wickford standing there. She looked pale and weak with the battery pack to her heart pump secured to her hip.

She gave a light wave to him.

"How did she get into the house?" Pepper wanted to know.

"Who cares? Now you can go and tell them I had company at the last minute," he said as he walked to the window. "Is there anyone else here with you?" he asked her through the glass.

"I broke out," Abby told him. Her voice was muffled by the glass. "I had to get out of there, or I was going to hang myself with the strap," she added as she pulled on the black strap across the front of her body.

"How did you find your way here?"

"I went for a drive and my GPS must have been acting up because it led me here when I was trying to find a safehouse for battered women."

"1294," he said.

"What?"

He pointed to the keypad and started to walk away.

The sounds of the buttons pushed and the door unlocking allowed her to gain entry to his private laboratory. Now she was involved.

"Pepper," he said her name.

"I'll see if Happy wants to go with," she said and walked over to the elevator to head upstairs.

Now, they were alone again.

"JARVIS, turn on the security mainframe, and alert to any non-resident activity," he ordered of his computer security system.

"Acknowledged sir," he replied.

"An AI computer system," Abby said as she was looking around the lab with curiosity. "Now that is something that I need around me."

"If you would like, I could loan him to you."

"Thanks, but I will build my own system for my use. Not to insult you JARVIS," she spoke aloud.

"None taken Ms. Wickford," JARVIS replied.

"I think he likes you," Tony added as he walked behind and whispered in her ear. His hand stroked across her front, but the hip-pack forced him to remove his hand. "I guess I can see why."

Abby turned to look at him. "You know, if it wasn't for my father so rudely shoeing you out of my room," she told him, "I wanted to say thank you…for saving my life."

He stroked the back of his index finger down her lightly tanned cheek and entwined it in a lock of her hair. "You're welcome."

They stood there for a moment before she reached up for him to wrap her arms around his neck.

Tony bent over so she could reach him.

"You're my hero," she whispered to him, a hand smoothing the back of his head.

As he held her and was about to let her go when he could hear and feel her crying. The tear that was shed landed on his shoulder and he pulled away so he could look into her eyes.

He took a hand and brushed away the eyeliner that was smearing under her eye.

"Don't cry princess," he said to her. "You have so much to live for, right?"

"Not when you are a prisoner in your father's home," she said to him. "I cannot sneeze without my father knowing it. He thinks the murderer is still out there and he doesn't want me out of his sight. I had to steal my own car and use the servants' access road just to get out of my own home. If I truly am a princess, I long for my knight to come and rescue me."

They stood together and stared into each other's eyes before they were locked at the mouth for the first time in a week. It was as sweet as he recalled from before the fire.

Her body lightly trembled in his embrace, but she did not part from him when he tried to pull away. His hands aided in pulling off her denim jacket to the floor. It fell into a heap so he could feel the lace and silk tanktop underneath.

Finally, her body had to retreat from the limited breath that she had.

He rested his chin on her shoulder and lifted her up to where she was off her feet, simply holding her delicately.

To his surprise, Dummy did something to an old glass shell of an older ARC Reactor to give the lab the feeling that they were in high school with a mirrored ball hanging over them. There was even music playing for them to dance to.

"Ah, Dummy!" he shouted.

Abygail was laughing.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I should have donated him a long time ago."

She took his face in one hand and looked at him. "It's fine," she said. "The longer I can stay here with you and away from my home, the better."

Tony bent down and lifted her up into his arms. "Shall I show you around?"

"Why not?" she replied.

It was a great couple of hours spending and getting to know Abby and all that she was going to have to go through in order to get a new heart.

They had a nice dinner delivered and sat near the open backyard window.

He wanted her to stay with him, but if Wickford discovered that she had been here with him, he might cause trouble for Abby and they would never see each other again.

His love left under prejudice and headed out. She said that she was going to make herself seen at a boutique in town with some friends and make it look like she just needed to get out. Not the fact that she was hiding out with him.

But once her black Corvette was out of sight, Tony knew one thing was clear: he needed to get her out of there and away before she would lose her own will to live.

* * *

><p><em>Did you get the little joke in the chapter? Go back up to the OnStar moment...do you get it now?<em>

_OK, in homage to Stan Lee, Marvel genius, if this had been in film form, Stanley ("Stan Lee") would have had his cameo for it. Now do you get it? Remember to review!_


	10. Chapter 10 Deals going south

****_Here is the next chapter to Change my Heart. No Tony or Abby in this chapter, but it is vital to the storyline progression. Please remember to review in order to see what continues in the love story of our lovebirds._

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><p><strong>Chapter Ten: Deals going south<strong>

Teradyne was the center of attention not only at the world headquarters office in Santa Monica, but also in New York City. Wall Street was abuzz that the technology developer was preparing a pitch the United States government to create a new weapon for the military.

Teradyne was slated to make billions of dollars...and Justin Hammer was completely aware of it. As a former uncle to the Wickford children since the death of his half-sister Angela.

Dinner and candles were sitting on Hammer's desk as his half-nephew was sitting across from him. They were dining and discussing how they would approach the deal that was coming.

"Very lovely dinner Uncle Justin," Alec Wickford said to him. "I thank you for inviting me."

"Anything nephew," Hammer said in his usual business facade charm. "We are soon to be partners and this was the least that I could do for you." He wiped his face and placed the napkin on his desk. "Now, you are certain that you can get the paperwork signed and ready for the announcement. I do not want to be made a fool of."

"I assure you uncle...I mean, Mr. Hammer," his nephew corrected himself mid-statement. "My government resource is pushing the deal through in favor of Teradyne taking the contract. Then our IPO will soar to over three-hundred a share at debut after the announcement. By then, the paperwork will be signed and my sister will not be around to contest."

"I am not one to condone violence against family," he stated. "She is my half-niece and the only girl born to my beautiful sister Angela, but she is the one that lead to my sister's sudden and tragic demise."

"I promise you Uncle Justin," Alec began his plea. "I have someone who is working on that portion of our arrangement..."

Justin was quieting him. "Ah, the less I know the better. Plausible deniability in the event that people start questioning our deal." He took a sip of the wine. "Have you had some yet? Came from the Hastings Villa in Napa Valley. A premier blend."

Wickford took a drink. "Very smooth," he replied.

"As I want this deal to be," Hammer replied. "You have one week to get this deal through. This deal is worth a potential starting figure of three billion, that is billion with a B, dollars. If you cannot obtain 100% control of the company, I just may have to," he rambled while mimicking scissors cutting with his fingers.

"No Uncle, I mean Mr. Hammer," Alec pleaded. "I can get this done."

"You better...or maybe I will take on your sister as a partner and we'll cut you out. Think about it."

Alec walked out of his half-uncle's office and toward the elevator. He reached into his suit pocket and pulled out his cellular phone.

The glass elevator would allow him to still talk without losing reception.

The line picked up.

"Why do you call me yet again?" the Mandarin answered.

"Because you failed me the first time," Alec shouted in anger. "What did money go to pay you for? I wanted her dead, not maimed."

"That is not my problem, young Wickford," the voice retorted. "I did as I was requested to do. It was her champion who saved her."

"So you are saying that a mere mortal can defeat you. Tony Stark is nothing but a drunken playboy with a fancy suit of armor. I would assume a man of your caliber could take of him."

"A man of his caliber exhibits bravery and loyalty to the ones he loves," the assassin told him. "Love is a powerful emotion."

Alec had reached the parking garage where his car was. He could not be discussing his business while in the building.

"I do not care," he roared.

"So, you know my price," the Mandarin said.

"No, I will pay more this time," Wickford told him. "This time, you keep Iron Man busy. I will take care of my sister."

The assassin was quiet at first, but then said, "I accept."

Alec closed the phone and directed to his driver. "Drive. I want to go home, now."

The driver put the car in gear and they headed toward the airport.

* * *

><p><em><span>Isle of Corsica<span>_

Across the vast waves of the Atlantic, through the Rock of Gibraltar, and passing over the glistening Mediterranean Sea the Isle of Corsica rested far off the coast of France.

The vast island was filled with mountains, sparkling beaches, and vibrant day and nightlife. The coast was filled with fresco hotels and manors that showed the classical Genoa style while surrounded in lush gardens.

Surfers filled the water, riding the waves that crashed into the lush white sand beaches; filled with tourists.

From the city of Calvi, a moped rider raced across the stucco path from one of the many restaurants. The young lady rider breezed through the city streets to the mountain pass.

As the rider scaled the mountain, she arrived to a gated access to her master's estate. The guard allowed her to pass with a wink of her eye. She continued upward through the circular driveway and parked.

"Bonjour Mademoiselle Angelique," one of the guards greeted her.

"Bonjour," she replied.

Angelique took the food satchel through the kitchen to the balcony where citronella torches lined the edge that overlooked the bay.

Her helmet was removed and she pulled out her hair tie.

She looked down and saw a surfer coming back to the sand. He toweled off his body and hair. He was very strong and built.

She walked down the wooden staircase to the beach to reunite with the man she loved.

Andrew was always a thrill seeker. Hiking, mountain climbing, racing performance cars, and everything in between. It was during one of his races in Monaco that she went down and greeted him.

And it went from there.

"Bonjour darling," she greeted him. Her English was okay, but she still had her strong French tongue and accent. "How were the waves?"

"Decent, but good," her boyfriend replied with a kiss on both her cheeks.

"Dinner has arrived," she told him. "Let us go and enjoy it." He took her hand and headed up to the house.

Once they got to the top, he took a smell of the bag.

Angelique pulled the bag away and gave him a love tap on the hand. "You shall wait till you are cleaned up," she told him.

Andrew came and kissed her once he pulled her into a tight vice. "Then I shall clean up," he told her before he headed inside.

* * *

><p>The youngest Wickford brother walked into his luxury home from the veranda from an afternoon of surfing. His girlfriend Angelique headed into town to pick up dinner for them to enjoy. They ate out often, barely using their kitchenette, but it was good to be loaded.<p>

On his way to the bedroom, he kissed his fingers as he always did and put it to a large painting on the wall. The hand was put to the cheek of a young girl as he passed.

It was his quirk of offering his sister some love even though he could not see her; due to the bastard whose face had been sliced open with a letter opener.

He had been off to college at Stanford earning a law degree, but like any college freshman, he got involved in the party scene.

Andrew never thought that his eldest sibling Alec would use that to have him disowned.

Alec or the bastard has he was known by in this house had set him up to be arrested for drug possession and the intent to sell. He was kicked out of college, his fraternity, but worst off, his family.

He had heard about his poor sister. How she had nearly been killed when her condominium in Santa Monica, California had nearly burned to the ground.

It often crossed his mind that their bastard brother had something to do with her death, but he did not have the evidence he needed to prove it.

Once showered and clean, Andrew was returning to the the veranda for his beachside dinner with his girlfriend when he was accosted.

"Hey Andy," Simon, his hacker friend who lived with them, shouted as he slid across the floor. "I got it."

"Got what?" he asked.

They were in Simon's bedroom that also served as his office of computer excellence. He was the best hacker around Corsica and he was in his employ.

"I finally broke through all the firewalls of the Teradyne Technologies infrastructure," Simon was talking his geek speak. "Once I got through I was able to copy the hard drive and download a trojan that will allow me to receive data pockets of every download, file save, calendar appointment..."

"Whoa, just pretend that you are talking to someone who knows a little bit more about computers than Betsy Ross," he told the hacker. "Did you find something or not?"

"What did I not find?" the hacker said and passed him a folder.

Andrew opened the folder and saw a bank statement. "Bank statement. So what?"

"So what? Do you see the two large deposits that were made. One four weeks ago and another just yesterday afternoon. Those are six-figure amount transfers from the Teradyne Tech account to your brother's account to several bank accounts. Finally got it narrowed down to a bank in China. Want to know who owns that bank account?"

"If you know who does."

"The bank account has a false name, but it has been linked to several mass murders and assassinations attempts by one they call The Mandarin."

"These crazy killers and their code names," Andrew said. "What is his mode of death?"

Simon gave him another folder. "Read this. It is going to be the diary on all things The Mandarin. And you may want to go and get your sister."

Andrew's attention was suddenly drawn back to the picture.

His hacker brought up the picture on a computer screen. "Because this picture was taken at the Breakside Tower condos on the night the fire broke out and nearly killed your sister."

His blood began to boil. He had the proof he needed. Alec was attempting to eliminate the last member of his family. Only instead of being banished, he was trying to kill Abby.

Dinner was cancelled.

* * *

><p><em>Oh yay! Andrew is on his way to rescue his sister. Let's see if a double team can truly stop the Mandarin. Please review!<em>


	11. Chapter 11 Fly away with me

_****OK, this is a long one, but it is a cute one. You will love it. Review this one._

_Oh, and the song that Tony and Abby dance to (and the love song for their entire relationship) is "Hero" by Enrique Iglasius_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Ten - Come fly with me<strong>

_Wickford Manor_

A limousine waited outside the front door to the mansion and the butler to the household awaited the arrival of the passenger who would get in.

Alexander Wickford sat in his wheelchair in the foyer.

Suddenly bounding down the walkover bridge and to the staircase, his lovely daughter appeared. She seemed to be excited for going to a doctor's appointment.

"Do you mind?" he berated her. "You are not to be skipping around this house like you are five. Your heart is weak enough and exhilarating yourself..."

"Papa," his daughter said, "please, not even tired." She left a kiss on his cheek. "I am going in for this overnight stress test and I will be back in the morning."

"I will not be here," he told her. "I am heading out to New York to talk with your uncle about business."

"I do not know why you continue to do business with Uncle Justin," she asked. "It is not like we ever talk to him anymore."

"But he does have a vested stake in the company and needs to be involved in the transfer of power."

"Not that I am going to have any part of that," she quipped.

Alexander reached for his daughter's hands. "It is for the best dearest. Until we can get a new heart for you, we have to find someone who is willing to control your share. I just cannot give your brother everything. The power will go to his head...you know that absolute power..."

"...corrupts absolutely. I read Shakespeare and Frankenstein in school too papa." She checked her watch. "I have to get going. See you when you get back."

She kissed him and headed out the door with her overnight bag.

* * *

><p>Abby walked down the steps and passed her pack to Gerald the doorman.<p>

"Ms. Wickford," Beth her assistant came out of the house while she was about to get in. "I need you to sign something for me before you go. It is your new advanced directive form. It is updated with all the changes you requested."

"Ah, just go ahead and forge my name," she replied. "You know how to make it look like mine. I do not want to sign it because it gives me those morbid feelings that I am going to die."

"You are not going to die Ms. Wickford," Beth told her. "I'll be out of a job if you do."

"We will see after I get back in the morning. See you then."

Gerald closed the door and the car pulled away from the estate.

Abby stared out the window as they drove down the freeway. She was using her tablet to read a newspaper.

She went into the archived issues and there found the picture of her and Tony dancing at the embassy. She often looked to the picture just to remind her of why she was fighting to stay alive.

Even though they were business and technology rivals, she could not help that she loved the enemy.

She saved the picture and then made it her main screen background.

Abygail looked up and watched as the limousine passed the exit that read UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center. "Hey," she called to the driver. "Hey, you passed the exit."The driver did not reply to her.

"Hey," she said a louder tone. "You passed the exit to the hospital."

Again, the driver did not reply to her and this sent off her spider-sense.

Abby slowly reached into her satchel bag and quietly pulled out a long black stick. It was an ASP baton weapon that she would be able to use to defend herself. She had purchased it through Darrell who gave it to her during her meditation session. He said it was worth having since she could not run away from an attacker anymore.

She carefully twisted the handle and pulled out the extended rod.

Moving with stealth, she was behind the driver and snapped her weapon to where it was around her abductor's neck.

The limo swerved around, but the driver maintained control of the car.

"Who are you?" she demanded to know, the ASP thoroughly secured around her captor's neck.

"Hogan," the man grumbled as his hat fell from his head. "Happy Hogan Lady Wickford."

Abby was embarrassed and released Tony's driver before he swerved off the road and nearly killed the both of them. "I'm so sorry Hogan," she said. "I did not mean…it's just…"

"It's understood ma'am," the driver replied. "Mr. Stark knew that you were heading out today and he wanted me to intercept you."

"Intercept me?" she wondered aloud. "Why?"

"I have my orders to take you to him," he told her, "and that is all I can share with you until we arrive. Just sit back and I'll get you there."

Abby watched out the windows of the car and saw that she was getting off the exit for Stark Industries and the private airstrip out back behind the compound.

Where was she going?

There was a plane, painted with the Stark Industries logo, whose hatch was open with the stairs set up so she could easily get on. The engines on the plane were roaring.

"There is no way that I am going to be able to explain this," she said to Hogan. "I am supposed to be at a doctor's appointment."

"Let Mr. Stark worry about the incurring wrath of your father," Hogan replied. "He is waiting for you."

Abby got out of the car and slowly headed for the stairs. Her body was telling her to get right back in that car and force Hogan to take her home. She did not want anything to happen to Tony because of this tryst that they had started.

They were flirting with extreme danger and there was no telling the lengths that her father would go to find her again.

But her heart was telling her _go girl. Get on that plane and take control. It's not like you were going to live very long anyway._

She proceeded to take the steps slowly and climbed aboard the plane.

Abygail looked around the luxurious cabin to see if she could find Tony, but there was no one around.

"Tony," she called out as she craned her neck to the left to look into the area behind the plasma screen television on the wall.

* * *

><p>Tony Stark slowly emerged; hidden in the depths of the pilot's cabin. He wanted to surprise her by taking her away from all this stress, but then again he was also painting a target on his back if he was caught.<p>

What else was new?

He reached out for her and gently wrapped his arms around her to where she merely collapsed in them. He also left two featherlike kisses on her shoulder blade, causing her to groan with relaxation.

"What are you doing to me?" she whispered.

"I am taking you away," he whispered back to her. "Some place where we can just be each other and not have to worry about anything else. We can just be us."

She looked to him with her fiery eyes. "We'll never be able to be just us," she said. "We are so well known."

"That is why we are going to my private beach house in Cabo San Lucas," he told her. "We will not be bothered until you can learn to relax and be with me at the same time."

"Well, when you put it that way," she replied and kissed him.

Tony responded back, but did hear his pilot say something to him.

"Sir," he called out.

"Take off," he said in between the kisses. "Get us to Cabo as soon as possible."

"Yes sir," his pilot replied and they got situated and seat-belted in for takeoff.

* * *

><p><strong>Cabo San Lucas<strong>

It was short jaunt through the smooth skies on the Stark Industries private jet down to Cabo. It was still early in the morning and no one was out and about.

It gave them the perfect opportunity to get into the awaiting car and away from the airport before they were seen.

Tony's large beach house rested near the Sol Mar beach area. It was rocky and provided privacy from the maddening tourist area. His beach house opened right up to the ocean and if they wanted, they could even walk into town.

The car came to a stop and Tony climbed out. There was a particular skip to his step as came around to open the door for her. "Your retreat my lady," he said.

Abby climbed out and stared about her surroundings. The beach house appeared to have several rooms for parties and bedrooms for other activities.

She was shocked when Tony came around and scooped her into his arms. "How about we save some energy," he said.

And it caused her to laugh.

Inside, candles were illuminated all around with fresh flowers left on the bar-top. It was obvious that he had someone come down so that he could bring her here.

He used her foot to pull open the sliding door to a bedroom that overlooked and walked right out to the beach.

"The best room in the house," he told her.

Indeed it was. The ocean was right off the balcony and everything was in this one space.

"You are spoiling me Tony," she said.

"And you are loving every minute of it," he added.

"I am," she said. She took off her jacket and dropped it to the floor. Inspecting around, she noticed that there were some clothes of a female in the closet. "Old girlfriends?"

"Not in the slightest," Tony replied. "I had Pepper get some things for you since I knew you did not pack for a beach getaway."

Abby inspected it. "And in my size...how did you guess?"

"I know everything about you love," he whispered in her ear.

Tony quickly showered and slipped on a set of white linen capris with a shirt to match. The glowing power unit in his chest was left open and exposed, but the strings could be tightened if they went out in public.

She stepped out from the bathroom in a white skirt that was covered in red and orange exotic flowers. The red cutoff tank-top allowed her to show off her beautiful body while keeping the wires of the LVAD free from restriction.

"Wow," he said. "You are relaxing."

"Your fault," she whispered as she took his hand.

The couple went for a walk down on the beach, tanning in the sun, and allowed the water to splash upon their feet.

They spent the better part of the afternoon, just walking and talking. It allowed a great deal of bonding and just being themselves.

Abby walked out before him and splashed him with a kick from a wave.

Tony gave chase and lifted her into his arms. They spun around and nearly collapsed under a high tide that knocked into them.

At sunset, Tony and Abby headed into town and went for a private dinner at a well-known establishment. They were able to have a romantic dinner, just the two of them.

While they awaited their drinks, Tony's cue came when the waitress signaled for music to begin. He heard a pleasant song that he wanted to dance to.

He reached out for her hand and she stared at him. "Yes," she asked.

"Dance with me?" he asked.

"Will you accept my "I have a heart pump and I cannot dance very well" card?"

Tony forcefully took Abby's hand and guided her to dance. The patrons that were far enough away started to look at them, but the floor was completely theirs. "I guess not," she laughed.

They stepped side to side in perfect motion, staring intently into each other's eyes. It was a far different reaction than their first limbic exchange that brought them together.

"This is new to me," he said to her.

"Me too," she replied. "I am not used to this sort of relationship."

"It is a new concept to me as well. Kind of digging it."

Abby chuckled. "How long do you think we can stay hidden?"

"As long as you would like princess. As long as you would like."

"Promise?"

Tony lifted her chin so he could look at her. "That is a promise."

Their mouths met softly and filled with a passion that seemed more devotional than conquering.

People watching were taking pictures, but the waitstaff closed the curtains to give them privacy.

She became weak and had to part from him. However, she rested her head on his chest.

He smoothed her hair gently down, weaving a lock behind her ear. Another gentle kiss was left upon the top of her head.

No matter what happened to them, Tony was assured of one thing. Abby was not just another girl that he flirted and brought home with him.

This was the girl he would have brought home to mom and dad; if they were still alive to approve.

Abygail was a girl unlike anyone, and he would not leave her or lose her.

* * *

><p>The sun was beginning to set in Cabo San Lucas on their second day of retreat. People, lovers in particular were strolling along the beach as the high tide was coming in, splashing their feet. The clubs and bars along the beach were beginning to fill with people.<p>

But Abygail Wickford was staying inside the beachside condo that belonged to Tony Stark. She leaned over with her forearms resting on the railing in her clothing from yesterday. The only thing did not match was the black hip pack resting on the table beside her. The fine cables that ran from the pack into her abdomen to the LVAD system that was keeping her heart alive.

At least for now.

What she wouldn't long to be out there running with Tony right now, free and not limited by her personal strength or power restriction?

But thanks to the assassination attempt, it was only a matter of time until she died.

A gentle wind blew at her freshly braided and curled hair that she had done after dinner. She breathed in the crisp ocean scent and it filled her senses with peace and tranquility.

What she wouldn't do to stay here forever; never to be found again.

She felt the presence of a pair of hands weave their way under her abdomen and smooth it with a gentle touch.

"Where did you go?" she asked without looking at him.

"Looking for a place for us to hang out," Tony replied. "Would you believe that the waits are already two hours long? I figured that we could stay in and…"

"How much longer are we going to hide away?" she asked.

"What?"

Abby stood erect and faced Tony Stark behind her. "How much longer are you going to hold me hostage here?" she asked.

"You're not a hostage per se, but I can certainly make you one if you would like," he joked with her as he rested his hands on her shoulders.

She turned away from him and crossed her arms.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Baby, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" she implied with a raised voice. "I'm sorry," she took back her voice. "It's just…"

He brought her into his arms and she could feel the short length of the power generating cable be stretched so he did come closer to where she was standing. Her face was against his strong chest and she could hear the gentle hum of the ARC reactor that glowed and kept her lover alive.

"Don't be sorry," he said to her. "I can understand what you are going through. When your precious life is slowly ticking away."

"Ticking as my heart is counting down to the end," she replied. "I just wish it would end. Get it over with so my family can move along without me."

He seemed to be put off by her last statement as he brought their eyes and faces to meet. "Abs, why are you talking like this?" he asked. "I thought you were happy."

"I don't know. Do not get me wrong, these two days have been heaven to where I have had to pinch myself to see if I was still alive. I guess I am just facing the perspective of a ticking clock."

He looked down at her. "There may be a way that we can put this whole thing behind us so you can move along."

Her eyes squinted briefly, wondering what he was talking about. Then she watched him indicate to the same ARC reactor that was in his chest, by touching it with his hand.

"No," she protested. "Absolutely not." She started walking, but then had to go back and get the hip-pack before going back inside.

"What is wrong with it?" he asked her while in chase. "An ARC Reactor is better than having that heart pump in you. It could heal you. Prolong your life longer than that battery pack keeping you alive."

"How do you know that it would keep me alive?" she shouted in anger. "You have shrapnel that _could_ kill you and the magnet is keeping you alive. Me, I have a hole from being stabbed. Two different sides of the continuum."

"But it will save your life. Am I only seeing the upside of this?"

"Yeah, you are." She calmed herself down, but wanted to argue her point further. "Don't you understand? If you put another ARC reactor like yours in my chest, I am bound to you forever."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Well, no," she replied.

"You don't have to worry," he said to her. "I have the technology and the knowledge to make one for you. I'll even make it to a color that would work for you. And what is so wrong about wanting to be with me for as long as you are alive?"

"Nothing," she said. "I want to be with you, for as long as I have left. But my family…"

"Screw your family!" he said. "You know who I am and I can protect you and more importantly, I can take care of myself."

"Not from my family," she told him. "My father has _connections_. Connections that not even Iron Man could defeat and it would cause problems for you. I do not want anything to happen to you because I care for you. I couldn't bear, nor would I want to live if anything happened to you."

Tony was silent and she turned away so he would not see her tears.

He however came closer to her and wrapped his arms around her to where hers were trapped against her body. They rocked left to right against each other as he held her. "You have nothing to worry about angel," he told her. "They can try and make me disappear, but that will still not get me to ever stop loving you." He kissed her on the shoulder.

Abby turned and faced him. "You promise?"

He kissed her this time on the lips. His mouth slid across the lip-gloss on her lips. He was the sweetest that she had ever tasted in all the times that they shared moments like this.

With her hands rested across his strong shoulders, it was as though his emotion was not only healing her spirit, but her heart as well.

Tony bent down and scooped her up in his arms. She grabbed the power pack and placed it in her lap as he carried her to the net covered bed.

Granted she was banned from any sexual consummation, but that did not block her from kissing Tony with every fiber of her being and energy that she had before she had to stop and take a breath.

Finally, they had to release and they simply lied there on the bed, but before she knew it, she was asleep.

* * *

><p>Tony Stark rested on his side watching as Abby slipped into a calm and peaceful sleep. He knew the restrictions of her physical ability, but that still did not stop his physical attraction of her.<p>

He had to figure out a way to find a cure for her and heal her body so that they could be together as they were that precious Friday night in her condo. The bliss that he felt that night even topped when defeated Obadiah and his Iron Monger and brought peace to his battered soul.

As he lied there, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the object that was poking him in the leg. It was a large diamond solitaire ring.

It was what he had run into the center of town for, not the club reservation as he had told her; though he did check out a few places. He had wanted to propose to his financial rival and lover, but for now all he wanted to do was watch her as she slept.

He watched the ring sparkle in his fingers as he moved it about, but suddenly Abygail started stirring and he shoved the ring back into his pocket in case she saw it.

Once Abby was turned around, he smoothed his hand down her suntanned arm and silk covered leg. He rested his head on top of hers and that was the last thing that he remembered before he too collapsed into sleep.

The following day, the both of them awoke around nine in the morning to the sound of Abygail's cell-phone that was ringing on the table.

She was slow to wake up so before the phone call went to voicemail, he walked over and grabbed it.

"Hello, Abygail Wickford's phone," he answered because it was not his phone that he was answering.

"Yes, is Ms. Wickford there?" the person asked.

"I'm sorry. She is sleeping right now."

"Is this Tony Stark?" the person asked.

His senses were in tune. How would they know he would be the only male that would answer her phone. "Good guess. Who is this?"

"This is Dr. Darien Eisenberg from UCLA Santa Monica hospital," the person that really did not sound like the doctor, but the reception was somewhat bad being they were far away. "I was hoping that Abygail would want to come to the hospital for some tests."

"What sorts of tests?" he asked.

"I want to see if there is any change in heart condition, rhythm, and blood flow due to the LVAD system installation," the doctor said to him. "It's pretty standard and recommended for any patients with it installed in their structures. Could she come in and when?"

"Who is it?" he heard Abby say to him as she was just starting to wake up.

"It's your cardiac doctor," he told her. "Wants you to come in for some routine tests."

"When?"

"Whenever you can," he told her and then turned back to the phone to give his reply. "We are currently in Cabo San Lucas, but my plane can have her back in about ten hours. Can you see her then?"

* * *

><p><strong>UCLA Medical Center – Santa Monica<strong>

"That would be excellent Mr. Stark," Dr. Darien Eisenberg replied into the speakerphone in his office. "Tell Ms. Wickford that I will see her at the hospital at 5 PM."

"I will," Tony Stark replied and the line disconnected.

Darien turned and looked to the Beretta that was aimed directly at his head after he turned off the speakerphone. A man from Alec Wickford's personal hit squad had the gun in his hand to kill him unless he made that farce phone call.

"Good work doc," the burly man said as he reached for a cell-phone in his pocket. He only hit redial and waited for the call to connect. "Yeah boss, it's done. She'll be flying back. I would head over there."

The call disconnected suddenly.

* * *

><p><em>Oh no, Tony and Abby are walking into a trap! Review and find out what happens!<em>


	12. Chapter 12 Ambushed

****_Wow, in the past few days, I have had many subscriptions for Change my Heart. So in honor of all of you subscribed this week (you know who you are ;) ), this chapter is for you. _

_Please remember to review!_

_I love to have music playing when I write and read. For your listening enjoyment, we have "Are those bullet holes?" for the beginning, once they are grabbed "Section 16," and when the melee starts, "Iron Monger."  
><em>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twelve - Ambushed<strong>

_Tony Stark's Residence_

The plane ride back had been a speedy one, but Tony and Abby were able to relax somewhat before they returned to Stark industries airspace and climbed into a limousine that awaited their return.

They decided to head back to his house before taking her to the hospital. It would be best if they dropped off their stuff before heading down to Santa Monica.

The house was dark, which surprised Tony at first. "Wonder where everyone is?" he asked.

"Maybe Pepper went out?" she suggested. "You did say that she and Happy were hitting it off a little bit."

"Yeah," he replied. "Are you nervous about going back to the hospital?" He scanned his thumbprint into the door handle and it unlocked.

"It's just for a routine test," she told him. "It's not like I missed the first one on purpose. And no, I am not nervous, but hopeful that perhaps some healing has happened before I get all crazy about having an ARC reactor put into my chest."

"One can only hope."

They walked inside the house that was still dark.

"JARVIS, lights on please," Tony requested of his artificial intelligence system.

The lights did not come on.

"What is up?" he asked and wondered aloud. "JARVIS?"

All of a sudden Tony hit the ground as he was jumped from behind by someone beating him with a flashlight.

"Tony!" she screamed.

"Welcome home sis," a voice called in the darkness behind her.

Abby turned to the voice and was suddenly smashed across the face by right hook. She hit the floor away from Tony and was in pain as the cables to the hip pack were pulled to a stinging sensation.

Two sets of arms grabbed her around her arms and yanked her back to her knees.

"Be careful," the voice said. "I do not want her roughed up too much." The person stepped out from the darkness and revealed himself.

It was her brother Alec.

"I do not want her dying before she sees what I have planned for her," Alec replied.

"You son-of-a-bitch," she growled to him.

"My thoughts exactly," Tony said as he tried fighting to get off the floor and take out as many of the bodyguards as he could fight to get himself and Abby free. All he had to do was get to the lower level and they would be safe in the lab.

The guards however were much larger than he was and beat roughly and struck across the face to where he could barely see straight.

One of the guards that took great pleasure in beating him up was Charles. The same bodyguard that had attempted to beat him at the embassy, but did not. Now he was making up for it.

"Stop it!" he could hear Abby screaming. "Leave him alone!"

"Or what Abby?" Alec asked. "You can't even run ten feet without your heart wanting to give out. I read your medical report."

"How?" she asked. "That's between me and the doctor."

"Oh you mean Dr. Darien Eisenberg," Alec said to him. "Yeah, he can be very persuaded...especially when you put a pistol to his head. How do you think I was able to get him to make that phone call to get you to come back?"

Tony suddenly realized that they were set up into coming back so they could be captured.

Now they were getting exactly what they wanted.

"What do you want Alec?" Tony demanded to know. "You went to a lot of trouble to trick us into coming back and taking out my defense network."

"When you are a technical company," Alec gloated, "I can find my way around any security system and disable it until there is nothing for _you_ to use. Very simple to get you to come back and deliver my prey right to me. I have to thank you Mr. Stark."

Tony suddenly realized that everything was falling into place. The fires, the attacks, Abby's attempted murder. Her brother was behind it all.

"Spare me the 'I win speech' and just get on with why you are doing this?"

Alec nodded and suddenly, Tony was slugged so hard in the gut that it took the breath out of him. He collapsed back to the floor in a heap.

Abby tried to get free, but the guard that held her pulled her arms back so far that she winced and cried.

"Don't hurt her," Alec warned the guard and walked to where he was in close proximity to grab her face in one hand; squeezing her cheeks. "I want that to be my job."

"You can't kill me," she said. "Dad will take away everything that you have and desire. You'll never get what you want."

"Not yet," he told her. "But if I get your signature on the right documents, well…"

"I won't sign over my half to you so you can be in control," she told him as if she knew what he was up to. "You're going to have to kill me...oh wait, that won't get it for you either."

"Not without some help," Alec said and another person emerged from the darkness. "Your assistant was more than willing to assist me."

"Beth?" Abby said. "But…why?"

"Since your mother married your father, I have protected this company and this family's name for years," Bethany Gabe explained her role in his plan. "You're self-destructing Abby and I will not let your self-destructing behavior tarnish its name."

"You have no control in the company," Abby directly pointed out.

"No, I do not," Beth replied, "but I do sign papers for you all the time. What was signing your Last Will and Testament any different than a contract?"

It was clear now. Abygail's assistant forged her name on a Last Will and Testament form as per her instructions outside the house. She must have altered the document; without her knowledge.

"What have you done?" Abby demanded to know.

"I have it right here," she said. "I Abygail Angela Wickford, being of sound mind and body, do hereby blah, blah, blah, to sign over my fifty percent stake and stock holdings in Teradyne Technologies…"

"…in the event of my death," Alec finished the statement for her. "Now I cannot kill you," he told her near her face, "but I can certainly make it look like you took your own life and still have a role to play in it. I would not want nature to take you away when I can kill you instead. I got rid of Andrew and now all I have to do is get rid of you."

"I don't think so," she said and dropped like dead weight in her holder's arms.

"What the…" the guard said, but was suddenly low kick swept by her.

"Get her!" Alec shouted.

Tony used the distraction by looping his right leg behind the big African American man's leg and pulling it out from underneath him.

They both fell to the ground and he was finally free.

"Abby! Downstairs!" he shouted loudly to her. He socked one of the guards. He knew that he needed to get downstairs too and get to the flight stabilizers in the Iron Man suit to have a weapon to fight back.

* * *

><p>Abby grabbed a retreating Bethany Gabe by her hair.<p>

"You're fired bitch!" Abby shouted before tossing her into the front table, which she shattered on impact.

* * *

><p>Tony made it to the steps that lead to the downstairs area. "Come on Abby!'<p>

Abby ran over to him and he grabbed her hand, but he was smacked across his back by a piece of furniture from the bar.

He lost his footing on the stairs and went flying down head over heels.

Before reaching the bottom however, he was rendered unconscious.

* * *

><p>Abby looked and saw that Tony was unconscious against the glass wall of the laboratory where she had seen him for the first time working on the Iron Man uniform.<p>

She had only fallen on her chest about half way down.

"Tony," she called his name, but he did not stir. "Oh God, Tony!"

She tried getting up to assist him, but she was grabbed by one of the bodyguards and jerked back to her feet.

"I think not precious," Alec said to her face. "I only need you until twelve midnight for till Friday and then your Will goes into effect. Then I can do with you as I please." He looked to his guards. "Get her in the car."

The men dragged her away kicking and screaming for Tony, but there was nothing that she could do.

She only prayed that Tony was OK and he would come for her.

* * *

><p><em>An hour later<em>

Pepper Potts and Happy Hogan returned to the residence after they had gone to dinner. It was nothing fancy, but they wanted to go out and spend some time away from the house until their boss came back.

"I had a great time this evening," Happy said to her as they were getting out of the car.

"Me too," she replied. "I have never been to a Western bistro before, but it was good. We'll have to do it again some time."

"Most definitely," Happy replied slowly as they looked to the front door.

It was wide open and dark.

"Wait here," he told her as he headed inside. He wanted to make sure it was safe for Pepper to enter before she did. There might be someone in the house that was not supposed to be there and he wanted to flush them out before she did come inside. "It's clear!" he shouted out to her.

Pepper entered the house and saw the destroyed table and a missing bar stool. "What happened here?" she asked.

"Robbery?" he suggested.

"I locked the house and put JARVIS on high standing," she informed him. "No one should have gotten in without clearance. JARVIS?" she called out for the AI program.

No response.

"JARVIS? There is something wrong with the security center," she said.

"Mr. Stark and Ms. Wickford are back," Happy pointed to the luggage that was lying against the wall by the door. "Where are they?"

"I think I am going to reboot JARVIS from the lab and then I'll call Tony. Maybe they went back to her new place for something?"

"Possible," Hogan replied. "I'll go through the house to see if there is anyone in the house or if anything is missing."

Pepper was about to go down the stairs when she saw her boss Tony lying in a heap at the bottom, sprawled out like he had been hit and thrown down the stairs to be hidden.

"Happy!" she howled before racing down the stairs to get to him. "Tony," she came to him and tried to wake him up by shaking him. She did not want to move his head in case there was spinal damage. "Come on Tony, wake up."

Happy came racing down the stairs to see if he could help. "Oh man," he said.

"Call 911," she asked him. "Tell them thirty-five year old male with possible head trauma. Was thrown down the stairs by an unknown assailant. Request medical assistance here immediately. Then call Rhodey."

"Do you think…?"

"I think Abby was taken by whoever did this," she told him. "Just hurry."

* * *

><p><em>Ohmigoodness! This is not good. Abby has been taken only to be killed later and now Tony is disabled. What are we about to witness? Please review!<em>


	13. Chapter 13 Drugged out

****_Sorry about the large absence in postings, but life has been busy and I have been focused on Stockholm. Please enjoy the next chapters and review._

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><p><strong>Chapter Thirteen - Drugged out<strong>

It was still fuzzy, but Tony finally started coming around, but he did not know how long it had been since he took his trip down the stairs.

He could hear someone calling his name. He hoped it was Abby and she had somehow gotten free and got to the lab before her brother Alec got his hands on her again.

"Tony," he could hear his name and a gentle hand resting on his shoulder.

"Abby?" he said her name.

After blinking his eyes several times, his vision came into focus, seeing Pepper was the one that was calling his name.

He looked and saw that he was on the sofa in the living room then there was a bright light as a paramedic was checking his eyes for fixedness.

"Ah, get that light out of my face before I go blind," he smacked the hand away. "Pep, what happened?"

"You took a tumble down the stairs," she told him.

The headache and pain in his neck already confirmed that.

"Abby?" he said her name, sitting up sharply. A muscle pulled in his back and he winced at the shocking pain.

"She's gone Tony," Pepper told him. "Do you know where you are?"

"The living room," he replied. "Did you see them? Did you see them take her?"

"Abby?"

"No, Mary Magdalene. Of course Abby. Did you see them take her? Do you know where they went?"

"No. They were gone when Happy and I returned and found you at the bottom of the stairs."

Tony ran his hands partially through his scraggly hair and wanted to weep that her psycho brother now had Abby in his possession. Hell he didn't even know if she was still alive.

He got up off the couch and started to walk away from everyone. Once to the bar, he poured himself a drink and slugged it down.

Then, he whipped the glass against the wall.

"Tony!" Pepper shouted and came to him.

"What is the point of being a hero when I can't even protect the ones I care about?" he shouted. "I tried to save her and look what happened! She is going to die and it's because I allowed it."

Pepper kept his arms down by placing her hands on them. "She's not going to die," she told him. "You won't let them. You need to calm down first and then we'll go get her."

"Don't you get it!" he shouted and shook her off of him. "I am not strong enough to save her!" He took the scotch bottle and tossed it near the paramedics and Happy who were standing in the common area. "I have killed Abygail Wickford!"

* * *

><p>Everyone was in shock, but James Rhodes walked into the open front doors, noticing the splintered lock and could hear his best friend Tony ranting from outside.<p>

He heard the outburst and crashing glass, but he could not believe that Tony had said what he said. Something had happened in the house and it concerned his new squeeze Abygail Wickford.

"You need to calm down," Pepper said to him, trying to put a hand on him again, but Tony grabbed it to shove her away.

That was it.

Rhodey grabbed Tony from behind, wrenching one his arms around his back in a military hold.

"What is up with you man?" he asked.

"Get off me Rhodes," Tony growled in anger.

Tony pushed back in an attempt to swing at him, but Rhodey then pushed him down to the ground to get more leverage against him.

"I need some help here," he requested impatiently.

Happy came over to keep a writhing Tony Stark on the floor.

He was shouting in obscenities, calling everyone around traitors and every other name in the book.

The paramedics felt threatened enough to where they came over and staked him with a syringe.

"What is that?" Rhodey asked.

"Mild sedative," the paramedic replied.

Tony slowly came to a peaceful sleep and stopped moving underneath all the bodies that were trying to hold him down.

"I'll get a backboard," another of the paramedics said as he ran out to the ambulance to get it.

"Where do you want to take him?" the main paramedic who had stuck Tony asked.

"We'll need to carry him upstairs to his room," Pepper said with tears in her eyes. "How long will he be out?"

"Several hours ma'am," he replied. "Do you want to restrain him in any way in case he is even more hostile when he awakens?"

"No," she replied, "but if you could leave me another sedative that I can give him in case he does."

The backboard was there and the paramedics had him strapped to it. They were in the process of lifting him up to carry him up the stairs.

Jamie walked up to her as she watched them carry him up the stairs. "He'll be OK Pep?" he told her.

"I feel like I am betraying him by drugging him," she said, still watching.

"He'll be fine. I'll even stay here with you so you feel safe."

"Thanks. Do me a favor?"

"Sure."

"Go downstairs and get the portable ARC charging unit for me. I can't lift it because it is heavy. If he is going to be sedated, I am at least going to charge him up. Have him ready."

"Ready?"

"When he wakes up, he's going after Abby, whether he likes it or not." She left and followed up the stairs to make sure that Tony was comfortable.

Rhodes did as he was requested and went down the stairs to the lab to get the charging unit.

"Colonel Rhodes," JARVIS, the automated AI system called to him. "I am sensing a disturbance in downtown Santa Monica."

He went to a monitor and it pulled up a feed.

It was a man using some sort of weapon in his hands to attack people and destroy cars.

It was becoming mayhem.

He would deliver this charging unit for Tony, but it was back to work, War Machine style.

* * *

><p><strong>Downtown<strong>

This city, the City of Santa Monica, was truly one of despair and misery. It was nothing but rich socialites who stomped and stepped higher up the social ladder at the expense of the weaker, lowly peoples.

At least that was how the Mandarin viewed these people.

People scrambled from their cars and down the middle of the street as he approached.

He lifted his hand, extending his right index finger, and fired. The impact of the energy created a large explosion. It sent people flying to the ground and the rest fleeing the car whose exploded innards would have killed someone.

He took great pride in savoring the panic and fear of these people. However he was out here for a purpose.

It was all to draw out his client's lover, the one called Iron Man. Distracting him or wounding him would allow the client's plan to kill his precious sister to move forward without distraction.

The Mandarin fired, this time with the ring on his left index finger. The flames laced from the ruby and set fire to the palm trees.

Suddenly, a large dark metal figure appeared. He appeared different, larger, and coated in a different colored armor with large weapons mounted to his shoulders.

"So, Lady Wickford's champion has come?" he said.

* * *

><p>"Not quite," Jamie Rhodes in his War Machine armor replied to the challenge. "The name is War Machine. So you are the man who tried to kill her the first time?"<p>

"Who might you be fellow champion?" the assassin asked him. "Does Lady Wickford have you pining for her love as well? Playing at your heart?"

"Not quite," he answered. "I am here on behalf of my friend."

"Then, friend, shall we begin?" the assassin said, just as he fired at him with something that glowed upon his hand.

The beam struck him in the chest, but he was able to defend it. The interior monitors that were hooked into JARVIS alerted him to the impact.

"Colonel Rhodes sir," JARVIS's voice called. "It appears that this assassin's energy is coming from the ring on his hand."

"I can see that JARVIS," he replied. "He's got rings on every hand. Do they all have the same powers?"

"I am sensing different energy forces coming from each ring, each with a different power algorithm. You must take great caution in facing this man."

The assassin fired again, but this time the blast was fire-based.

Jamie put up his metal plated shield that appeared on his forearm to fan the flames out before hitting him. They were so hot that the plate was beginning to melt.

"Colonel Rhodes, temperature reaching unstable levels," JARVIS "reminded" him.

"No kidding," he answered. "Flare blasters."

From his shoulders, he fired flares that would strike and deflect the assassin's attacks. He had to get up from his knee and recover so to attack again.

Rhodey watched as the leather coated man used a different ring, this one from his left pinkie, to freeze each of the flares.

They blew up causing a soft snow storm.

"Oh hell no," he replied.

The assassin charged again, this time with a huge explosive blast. He was blown off his feet and crashed through the wall of a building.

He could not recover quickly from that.

* * *

><p>The Mandarin looked on as he approached where the metal warrior had been launched into a building due to his impact beam ring. Any of the ten rings that donned his fingers was a powerful weapon, yet he did not allow any one of them to be overused.<p>

If he succumbed to using them too much or too often, there was no telling what this magic would do.

He located the warrior who was just barely getting back level.

"You defend your friend when he cannot even defend you," he gloated. "All over the beauty of one woman. Why is this?"

"Let's put it this way," War Machine replied. "Iron Man finding the love of his life was like a snowball's chance in Hell. Now that he has her, there is no way that he is going to let her brother get away with her murder."

"Then your attempt shall be in vain," he informed him. "She will die tomorrow…and her champion will fail."

He lifted his right ring finger. This was his disintegration beam, a weapon he normally did not use. However, this armor needed to be destroyed and this would be the only way to do it.

* * *

><p>"Colonel Rhodes," JARVIS said, "power influx is off the scale. You will not survive this blast."<p>

"Then I think it is time for a hasty retreat," he said.

Using rockets mounted to his shoulders and arms, Rhodey initiated his jets and as he was sliding backwards across the floor, he fired on the assassin with his rotating machine guns.

He smashed through the opposing wall into another street; stopped by a large SUV that was parked on the curb.

"Damn," he replied. He stood and jetted away from the battle to his ensuring survival.

* * *

><p>The Mandarin watched as the warrior retreated, no doubt to conserve his life-force and energies.<p>

However, their battle was unfinished…and they would complete it very soon.

* * *

><p><em><span>Stark Mansion<span>_

Rhodey was in the foulest mood ever as the armor to his War Machine was already removed and he was pulling on his t-shirt once the Kevlar undersuit was removed.

He could not believe that he had run from a fight. It left a bad taste in his mouth. Never in the history of the Rhodes Family had anyone run away from a fight.

If he had run and obeyed orders, he never would have found Tony in the desert after his three month captivity.

He walked in a huff up the steps and found Pepper and Happy Hogan sitting in the living room.

"Uh oh," she said.

"Uh oh," he echoed. "Uh oh is all you can say. I just had my ass handed me by some Chinese punk with a jewelry fetish."

"Whoa slow down Rhodey," Pep said. "You saw the assassin."

"I did more than saw him. None of my weapons in my armor were good enough. He laid me out by using these, I don't know, magic rings. Each of them has a different power and he bested me. I sent a cyclone of flares and he froze them into snowflakes and created Santa Monica's first snow appearance. This guy has some heavy hitting weapons. I do not even think that Tony could have gotten him."

"He's not going anywhere for a while," Happy chimed in.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"We had to douse him again with the second sedative," Pepper informed him. "He actually was fighting the first one once we hooked him to the charging unit. He actually grabbed by hair…"

"Unintentionally," Happy added.

"Yes, unintentionally," she filtered in the comment. "Rhodey if we sent him out there in a drug-induced psychosis and his anger, the both of you would have been killed. It was my decision to give him the second sedative so he would be completely knocked out."

"How long will it last?" he asked.

"I do not know," she answered. "Why?"

"Because the assassin who laid me out said Abby dies tomorrow," he told them.

Everyone looked at each other and then up at the doorway that was open on the second floor.

They all knew that the fate of Abygail Wickford lied in the hands of the man who was drugged out upstairs.

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><p><em>Uh oh, Abby's clock is ticking. Please review!<em>


	14. Chapter 14 Hostage

_Let's see how Abby is doing...since we now know her clock is ticking. This one is very short, but it needed to be on its own. Please review...if you can.  
><em>

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><p><strong>Chapter<strong>** Fourteen – Hostage**

Her head throbbed with a pulse pounding agony as she slowly began regain consciousness. From what she observed, she knew she was in trouble.

She did not remember a whole lot of what happened once she and Tony had returned to his home; under a ruse of deception on behalf of her brother. Then there was the foul smell of chloroform that filled her nose and now she was here.

The office around her crystal prison was that of her brother so at least she knew that she was in the Teradyne building. She was still in Santa Monica and at least not the far for Tony if he located her.

Abby sat up and realized that she was at least plugged into an electric outlet within the cage so her LVAD would stay powered and keep her alive.

The elevator beeped and she slowly sat up.

"Good morning sister. How are we feeling today?" Alec asked.

"Like you care," she snapped at him.

"But I do...well at least from a financial standpoint."

"So that is what this is about," she said, "money."

"Almost three billion dollars, my beautiful sister," he told her. "Once you are dead and with your "new" power of attorney and will in place, I stand to achieve everything in the event of your death."

Abby's hands slammed against the glass wall. "How can you do this?" she asked him in anger.

"I got rid of our brother fairly easily," Her brother confessed to his crimes. "You were just supposed to be a good little girl, but no. You decided to go to school and earn a place at father's right hand. With you gone, I will gladly take that place...and then smother him while he sleeps. It will all be mine."

She pound on the wall. "And killing me is going to make it easier?"

"Yes...once Uncle Justin has control of your portion…"

"Wait," she interrupted him. "Justin Hammer, our Uncle Justin is involved in this too?"

"He is purchasing your portion as we speak in order to "alleviate" any stress on you," he continued to explain his plan. "Then I will sell him my half. He will own the company, father will die in his sleep, and Uncle Justin will hire me into his company. I will be worth more than this company is altogether."

"And the whole hitman thing? Too squeamish to do it yourself? You know you may think that you have it all figured out bro, but if I have, you know that everyone else has too. You are just coward and I am going to laugh when Iron Man blows you straight to Hell."

Alec entered the crystal cell in anger at her making him mad and she huddled into the corner to stay away from him.

She tried to punch him, but he got his hands on her wrists to keep her restrained. He looked at her with lust.

"If only we weren't related," he said to her before kissing her hard.

While she tried to fight him off, he yanked out the charging cable from the battery pack and from the electric outlet before leaving her in the cage alone.

"You son-of-a-bitch," she shouted as she slammed her hands on the glass. Alex twirled the cable before her. "That battery pack has approximately twelve or so hours of charge. I cannot wait to watch you start to squirm and beg to have this back," he taunted her with the cable. "Once I know that you are on the verge of death, I will cut you loose, only so I can watch you die. Sleep tight."

* * *

><p>Alec left her as she protested and screamed for him to come back, but he left in the elevator and the lights dimmed in their father's office.<p>

Alec Wickford walked off the elevator, down the stairs from the elevators, and outside to the awaiting limo that would take him home.

Inside the car though, he was not alone.

Bethany Gabe awaited him. "Is it done?" she asked.

He revealed the power cable. "By midnight tonight, Abygail Angela Wickford will be nothing but a faded memory on the cover of the Los Angeles Times as the young executive to hang herself," he gloated.

"Good," she replied as she touched the bruise on her face. No doubt from the assault that Abby had given her from when they had captured her at Stark's house.

"Hey," he said to her, looking deep into her eyes. "You're still prettier than she is." His hand moved up her leg and under her skirt.

Both he and Beth locked lips and tongues as they headed back to his residence. He did not care that she was married.

She was his in this moment in time.

* * *

><p><em>This guy is sick and twisted...first kissing his blood sister and then going after a married woman. Please review and lets see if Tony reaches Abby in time!<em>


	15. Chapter 15 Trouble with family

_Chapter Fifteen and the return of Andrew Wickford. Please remember to review!_

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><p><strong>Chapter<strong>** Fifteen: Trouble with family  
><strong>

_Stark Residence_

Pepper Potts was telling someone that identified himself as Andrew Wickford that he needed to leave the residence. Tony was still asleep from the last sedative that he was not going to be up and around for a couple of hours.

"We cannot help you Mr. Wickford," Pepper Potts was telling the man standing in Tony's living room. "Have you tried going to the police?"

"My brother has several people working for the police, plus there is no time," Andrew Wickford replied. "He has Abby and I doubt that he is treating her with hospitality and respect. I already have my contact at SHIELD ready, willing, and able to come and help, but I need your Mr. Stark's help me save her."

She continued to protest while Tony was confined to his room, charging his ARC while recovering from the events of two nights ago. The tranquilizer that she had given him was the ticket to keeping him asleep so he could begin the recovery process.

* * *

><p>Tony Stark was asleep in his bed stretched out in perfect line with his head propped up on pillows.<p>

However, as he slept, something stimulated his mind as his hand twitched slightly on his waist.

His eyebrows twitched as well.

Tony could feel himself deep in the darkness of sleep, a sleep that he did not want to leave, but could hear someone calling out to him; trying to force him awake.

"Tony," he could hear the pleasant voice call out to him.

He looked around and there stood his speaker cloaked in white with a hand out extended toward him.

It was Abby for he recognized the ring on her finger.

"Abby," he called to her.

"_Save me Tony_," she said to him. "_Come for me before it is too late_."

The light vanished and he screamed out, "no," as his body awoke as he shot up to a sitting position.

"Abby," he repeated her name and noticed that he was plugged into the charging unit to keep him somewhat sedated. He carefully twisted off the charging ring and unplugged himself before attempting to crawl out of bed.

But that was when Pepper appeared.

"Tony," she said his name as she placed a hand to his chest, almost trying to keep him in bed. "You need to lie down and rest."

"Pep, what did you shoot me up with?" he asked her.

"Just a mild tranquilizer," his secretary told him. "You were ranting and raving while drunk last night. I had to give you something to put you to sleep so you could think clearly."

"Not that I am not grateful," he told her as he massaged his neck, "but I need to find Abby. She needs me."

"You're not kidding," another voice said from the stairway that led to his bedroom.

He was thrown aback by the origin of the voice, staring into the young man's eyes. "Oh god," Tony said. "Abby had a sex change."

"Not quite Mr. Stark," the man said. "Andrew Wickford. Abby's middle brother."

"You two look so alike," he replied.

"We should. I said that I was the middle brother, which I am…, by about 18 hours and 34 minutes."

"Are you saying…?" Pepper said.

"I am saying Ms. Potts," Andrew replied. "Abygail Angela Wickford is my twin sister and we need to break her out of the tower before my brother watches as he allows her to die." He pulled out a folder from his bag. "And I have the means to defeating his champion."

Tony and Pepper both looked to the folder that read TOP SECRET: The Ten Rings.

* * *

><p><em><span>Teradyne Tech Building<span>_

Alec Wickford returned to the top floor office with his new lover Bethany Gabe. She was organizing the evening's activities with regards to claiming his final stake in the company. The contract signed by Hammer was en route from New York. Now all they had to do was "dispose" of their current problem.

He looked and saw that Abby was lying perfectly still on her back with her hands resting on her abdomen. She looked dead.

"No," he said smashing his hands up against the crystal wall. "She couldn't have died during the middle of the day."

"Why? She's out of the way. The Will is still in effect when she is dead."

"But I wanted to take part in her death," he shouted at her. "I did not care about the Will. I wanted to do it."

But Abby did move, but just her mouth. "Do you mind? Trying to relax here."

"How are you doing this?" her brother demanded to know.

"Part of my training regimen," she said in her soft tone. "Several hours of physical training paired with at least two hours a week of deep meditation. I currently am using 1/10th the amount of energy that I would use in a typical active state."

"But how?" Bethany wanted to know. "The battery pack should be running on empty. Your heart should be straining to the pump to keep you alive."

"Must suck to know that I know how to relax my energy and prolong my life when you are just waiting for me to die now, doesn't it?" she said. "I guess you are going to have to back up your party a couple more hours, aren't you?"

Alec slammed his hands on the glass and marched away in a temper tantrum. That was a typical Alec reaction.

* * *

><p>Finally, she was alone at the slamming of the door.<p>

Abby knew she wasn't going anywhere, at least without assistance, but she did turn to look at the clock on the battery pack

The clock was slowly counting down to zero, but she had approximately three hours remaining before it would fail and soon after, her heart would begin to fail.

So all she could do was lie here in her meditative state and try not to exert any extra energy and drain herself to nothing. She knew that she would need all her strength that she would need in order to plan a last minute escape.

What she wouldn't have done to allow Tony to have placed an ARC Reactor in her chest. True, it probably would have hurt like Hell, but at least she would have longer than three to five hours to live.

Abby prayed that she would sleep and hopefully die in relaxation. This way she wouldn't be in distress and not cause any situation for Tony or whoever came to rescue her.

"I love you Tony," she whispered. "I just pray that you come for me before it is too late."

* * *

><p><em>Ooooo, even in a dying state, Abby is going to try and have the last laugh. We are almost to our epic battle scene so please review!<em>


	16. Chapter 16 Tools of the trade

_I am very sorry for the delay, but school has been killing me these past two weeks. I finally put the cap on this chapter so I hope that I did not disappoint you. Please review and I will keep ongoing. I just have to finish another chapter and this story will be finished._

_For your music selections, I would do a mix of "Mark II" from Iron Man 1 and "Rhodey Dons Suit" from Iron Man 2 soundtracks respectfully  
><em>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Sixteen: Tools of the trade<strong>

Down in the lab, the fortress that housed all the Iron Man and War Machine technology was abuzz with activity.

Though reading through the ten rings report was important, Tony kept looking to the wireframe clock that JARVIS had put on display in the lab. It showed that his girlfriend, his dying girlfriend, had about three hours to go.

Rhodey came down the stairs, but he was not alone.

He typed in his code and gained access to the lab. "Got your 911," he said. "What is going on? Who is this?"

"Andrew Wickford, Rhodey," Tony was introducing while reading. "Rhodey, Abby's twin Andrew. What on Earth? Coulson? Why are you here?"

"I was coming to meet with you when the Lt. Colonel was arriving," the SHIELD agent said. "Have you been watching the news?"

"No," he replied. "I have been trying to find away to save my girl who if you will observe the countdown clock is on the verge of dying here. All this while being shot up with drugs to sedate me, wasting my time…"

"I did those to help you," Pepper Potts shouted from across the lab. "Not in any way to hinder you from getting to her."

"Still, waste of time," Tony was talking over her. "What is it that I am missing? JARVIS visual on."

The channel was on CNBC and there was talk that Teradyne Technologies was on the verge of a merger with Hammer Innovations.

"What in the name…?" he said standing, slamming the folder down on the table. "Your dad has to be insane if he is going to let this go through."

"My father would never allow Uncle Justin to buy Teradyne," Andrew said. "He has hated him since day one."

"Wait, you guys are connected with Hammer?" Rhodey spoke out.

"Mom," Wickford replied. "Our mother was a Hammer before she married our dad."

"I knew there was a reason why I liked your father even if he does not like me," Tony said.

They watched a previously recorded interview where Hammer was saying that he was assuming control over the portion controlled by his niece, Abygail Wickford. He was spinning some yarn about wanting to relieve some stress from her while she awaits a new heart for transplantation.

"Something stinks," Tony blasted, "and I know that it is not here."

"That egotistical son-of-a-bitch," Andrew said. "My brother is going to have Hammer pick up Abby's portion, Alec will give his portion over willingly, causing the company to be bought and merged with Hammer's company. God!" he shouted, "I am going to kill him myself."

"Save it for later," Pepper said. "We need to know what sorts of weaponry we are going to need to confront your brother's assassin."

"There has to be a contract right?" Rhodey blurted out. "Any way we can stop it from going into effect?"

"I think that SHIELD can facilitate something," Coulson said, dialing on his phone. "Coulson for Director."

"All right, I need the short lesson," Tony asked Wickford. "What are we going to need to get around the Mandarin and save the woman we both love?"

Andrew grabbed the folder and started running down the rings.

"JARVIS, need two hands uploaded and displayed," he ordered.

"Two human hands on display and awaiting decoration sir," JARVIS answered.

They looked to the hands and Andrew started talking.

"Ten rings, one per hand," Wickford was explaining. JARVIS made jewelry appear on each finger. "The Left Pinkie is an ice blaster that can be used to stun people and bring any object's temperature to absolute zero."

"OK," Rhodey said while watching. "We'll need something with heat then to counter those effects."

"Left ring finger is a mental intensifying ring. The Mandarin may use this ring to increase his mental acuity and attempt to make you see or hear things."

"JARVIS do we have anything for that?" Tony asked.

"There is no weapon other than human self-control, something that I cannot manipulate," his AI answered.

"So basically, ignore the hell out of him. Next."

Andrew kept explaining and they went to work on exposing and gathering weapons to counteract any and all of the Mandarin's potential weapons that he could use on them.

"Electro blast much like his white light ring and vortex beam rings, are his most basic attack weapons," Andrew explained. "Flame blast could be used to counter any use of the ice blaster ring.

"Now this one, the right thumb is one you do not want to get hit by," Andrew started explaining. "It is a matter rearranger. He can manipulate objects to be different sizes and patterns. He could take your suits and basically turn them into scrap before you have had a chance to move."

"Getting hit with that, check under bad news," Rhodey remarked.

Coulson interrupted the science lesson for a bit. "The contract was signed by Hammer yesterday and is on its way out here for Wickford's signature."

"Abby wouldn't sign that," Andrew shouted.

Tony suddenly remembered and relived the night they were attacked. "She wouldn't," he said, "but Alec and her secretary Bethany Gabe. They forge her name on it and game over. Hammer has control of the company shares.

"Coulson," he kept talking, "anyway you can locate that contract with your boys and get it before it is signed and everything is gone?"

"I have Agent Hill working on it now," Coulson replied. "Good luck gentlemen."

"The last ring you need to be aware of that could put you in any danger is the disintegration beam," Andrew was saying to both Tony and Rhodey as the stepped up to the integration floor panels to get locked and loaded. "He uses that, it needs twenty minutes to recharge, but most likely you will be dead before he gets to use it again."

The suits were almost activated and ready to go.

"JARVIS, rescan all the data from that file and upload it to Rhodey and myself," Tony ordered.

"An excellent idea sir," the AI replied. "Should I have the countdown clock also uploaded to your mainframe?"

"Not that I want Abby's clock staring at me in the face, it might put things in perspective," he replied.

"I will race over to Teradyne with SHIELD," Andrew said. "You guys get in there and save my baby girl."

Iron Man and Wickford shook hands.

"I'll bring her back, you have my word."

The repulsors were fired by both Iron Man and War Machine.

"Ready to go and die?" Tony asked Rhodey.

"You had to put it that way?" his friend replied.

The two of them raced out of the garage and onward to save Abygail Wickford.

* * *

><p>Andrew Wickford ran out of Tony Stark's house, meeting up with Agent Coulson who was getting ready to leave.<p>

Coulson was ordering a contingent of operatives to the Teradyne Tech Complex when he climbed in.

"I'm going with," he told him.

"We will not need your services sir," Coulson replied. "We can handle this."

Andrew dialed a number on the phone. "Put me through to your master, now. Tell him it's an emergency," he growled. "Tell him it concerns his daughter."

The SHIELD agent was driving down the hill to get off of Stark's property.

Finally the voice he wanted answered. "Hello," the grainy weak voice said.

"Hello old man," Andrew snickered. "This is your bastard son who is about to save Abby, you, and the rest of your company so long as you hear me out now."

* * *

><p><em>Woo hoo that was an information jammed chapter. Everything about the rings is true as I looked it all up. I hope that you enjoy it and now it is going to get exciting. Please remember to review!<em>


	17. Chapter 17 I need a hero

****_Here we are, the start the EPIC battle scene between Alec and Tony with Abby as the pawn. Let's see who comes out on top._

_For your musical selections, I would go with "Rhodey Dons the Suit," from Iron Man 2 for the fly in, switch over to "Iron Monger" from Iron Man for the fight with the Mandarin._

_Please remember to review!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Seventeen: I need a hero<strong>

_Teradyne Technology Building_

Alec Wickford was sitting at his desk, staring into his tablet on his desk. It was a radar control application, developed by his company that was showing two blips coming from the vicinity of Malibu and heading in their general direction.

"Finally," he said and stood from his chair. "Time to get ready my dear. We have company coming."

Her eyes stared at him with oncoming dread.

* * *

><p>The two iron warriors could see in the distance and through their readers' screens that they were closing in on the Teradyne Technologies skyscraper. Andrew Wickford would be following in his vehicle and would get there; once he made a stop at a meet point with Agent Coulson of SHIELD.<p>

"So Tony," Rhodey rang in his ear, "how do we handle this?"

"Simple," he replied. "I am going to knock like a gentleman."

But that is not what he did.

Tony crashed through the glass window in front of the building, shattering the T icon and landed. He smashed the desk that rested before the window to the outside. He stood up erect as he locked eyes with Alec Wickford away from him.

Jamie landed gracefully beside him. "Damn man," his friend said.

Alec was standing beside a long crystal wall with his hand inside. "I've been waiting," the brother said to him.

"Sorry to keep you," Tony said.

Alec yanked out whatever he had in the cage, and it was as he expected.

He pulled Abby from within and held her against him.

"Hey honey," she said to him.

"You OK Abs?" Tony asked.

"As good as can be," she replied and looked to the battery pack. "Ask me again in about 57 minutes."

"Which do you do Stark?" Alec asked as he placed a pistol to her neck and began to slowly drag her backwards. "Save Abygail and get her to the hospital or do you deal with me. You'll never find the Will with her name on it."

"There are two of me this time," he told him. "We'll deal with you and then worry about whether Abby is a princess or a pauper afterward."

"Not before I destroy the evidence," Alec said as he yanked her toward an elevator that was awaiting him. "Take care of them!" Wickford growled as the elevator doors sealed, cutting them off from Abby as she struggled to get free.

Both Iron Man and War Machine both watched as The Mandarin sauntered out from one side of the room and stared them down. The Wickford Champion stared them down with a lust for trying to kill them.

He kept his hands behind his long black duster as though he was waiting for them to strike.

"Now, we shall finish what we initially started gentlemen," he said to them.

"Makes no difference to us," Rhodey said and was about to attack, when Tony put his hand up.

"No," Tony told him.

"Why not? Let's finish this so we can take care of Wickford and save Abby," Rhodey suggested his plan of action.

"Because that is what he wants us to do," Tony replied.

The Mandarin was laughing, when there was suddenly a glow coming from behind him. "You should listen to your friend Mr. War Machine," he mocked them. "He maybe a playboy, but he is smart," and with that, fired a white beam from his left thumb.

Both of the warriors had to roll out of the way to avoid the blast.

"See, see," Tony told him from his hiding place.

"Oh bite me," Rhodey replied.

The Mandarin fired on them again and came nearly close to hitting both of them. "You cannot defeat me warriors of Ms. Wickford," he continued to mock them. "You will not be able to save her from what her brother has planned for her."

This time he fired with a different ring, the one on his right index finger to strike at them with his impact beam.

"JARVIS, cue up the scanned schematics from Andrew's file on this whackjob," he ordered.

"At once sir," his trusty partner said. The scan of the Mandarin showed the rings, their symbology, and the powers. Now he would have the index on how to avoid the shots. "Transfer the data to Rhodey."

Rhodey suddenly saw the download. "And when were you going to turn over the teacher's key and let me borrow it?" he asked.

"Once I stole it from her," Tony joked, but they were avoiding blast after blast. He was in fact trying to destroy one of the pillars that Iron Man was hidden behind.

"Do not dishonor your lady by not firing back Iron Man," The Mandarin called him out. "You are a coward if you are not going to try and stop me in order to save her."

"What do you get from all of this?" Tony demanded to know as he tried to formulate what his next move was going to be. "Obviously killing the heir of a company is not something someone like you would profit from."

"I am being paid handsomely for killing such a flower," he told him.

Tony watched as Rhodey was getting ready to fire with his flight stabilizer at The Mandarin from his hiding place. His talking to him was a great distraction for this plan to work.

"But in the end, I could care less about this girl," The Mandarin finished what he was saying. He was still continuing to fire in both of their directions, but they did not want to be shot across the room or out the tall window. "So what will you do Iron Man: worry about me or save the love of your life?"

"I don't know what he is going to do," Rhodey shouted, "but I know what I am going to do." He stood up and was prepared to fire at him.

But The Mandarin was ready as he used his left pinkie ring, the ice blast and shot at War Machine's feet.

Rhodey dropped like a ton of bricks, but still got the blast off. The Mandarin ducked, causing the blast to strike and damage the ceiling area by the elevators; blocking Tony's use of them to get to the elevator.

"This is nothing," The Mandarin joked. "But I am a warrior of honor and I will eliminate you as I have been ordered and Mr. Wickford will have all that he desires by killing his sister.

"Come out Iron Man and redeem your partner," The Mandarin finished in his soliloquy. "I challenge you to a duel between men."

"Don't do it man," Jamie shouted in reply. "Get out of here and save…"

The Mandarin struck him with one of his rings and suddenly Jamie began to scream out in pain as the light covered his armor. He writhed on the floor, a snake longing to escape the jaws of its own predator.

"Sir," JARVIS said. "That is the Matter Rearranger ring he is using against Colonel Rhodes."

"What's it doing JARVIS?" he asked.

"It's is constricting the armor against War Machine's body," the AI reported. "I calculate that in 4.3 minutes, the armor will crush Colonel Rhodes to death."

"Leave him alone Mandarin," Tony shouted before he stepped out, not sure if he was ready for the fight, but he had to get the assassin from attacking Rhodey.

The plan worked as The Mandarin turned his attention from Rhodey onto him.

War Machine was able to start his rearranging process and attempt to get back to his feet.

"Why don't you pick on the one that you really want to kill?" he challenged. "You want to stop me because I am the one who embarrassed you when you could not finish the job the first time."

"Very true Iron Man," the assassin answered his challenge. "I accept your proposal."

He fired and Tony put up a shield guard that was mounted to his forearm. He was able to deflect it where the Mandarin had to step aside.

"Uh, uh," he mocked him. "Bet you weren't expecting that?"

The Mandarin fired again, this time with his white light ring, but again Iron Man shoved them aside like they were nothing.

"Dude, I got your playbook," he kept up with the distracting banter, hoping to throw him off his game.

* * *

><p>Down in the lobby, the SHIELD Acura with Agent Phil Coulson and Andrew Wickford along with a posse of operatives were arriving.<p>

"Secure the perimeter," Coulson ordered. "Surround every egress. And begin side to side search for Abygail Wickford, hostage. She is in dire straits right now."

They found an old man in a wheelchair in the lobby turning to face them. His goon-squad was around him.

"Who are you?" the matriarch Wickford asked. "I demand to know what you are doing here."

"Sir, I am Agent Coulson with SHIELD, long story," he said. "Do you know where your daughter is currently located?"

"She advised us that she was at the hospital due to stress," he replied. "I spoke with her secretary."

"Beth Gabe?" Andrew berated. "She is in on the whole plot to kill your daughter / my sister. She is up in that CEO office and is going to die unless we get to her." His hands were clinched along the armrests of the wheelchair. "You may have shunned me, but I will never shun her. Coulson," he continued, "I need a gun."

"Agent Kensington," Coulson ordered, "your pistol."

Wickford was given a magnum pistol. Andrew made sure it was loaded and good to go.

"Andrew," the father tried to stop him.

But Andrew charged for the elevators up the steps to the lobby. There was no stopping him now.

Coulson stood there.

"Want to the long, whole truth version or will the cliffnotes one do for you sir?" he asked.

Wickford gave him a long, icy stare.

* * *

><p><em>OK, that was only the beginning. Let's get back to Abby as she really is in dire straits with her brother holding her. Do not forget those reviews!<em>


	18. Chapter 18 Hanging by a thread

_Come on Tony! Let's go save Abygail...oh wait, pardon me. Now we adjourn to the roof where Alec is dragging his baby sister up to the helipad. This one is going to have a lot of point-of-view changes so please hang with me and read it all the way through. Please review!_

_Your music is "Mark I" and "Mark II (the ending of it)" from Iron Man 1.  
><em>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eighteen -<strong>**Hanging by a thread**

Helicopters began to patrol the Teradyne Building. Word had reached the local police departments that something was going on there.

Alec still had a tight grip on her arm, but she was trying to resist him in every way possible. Abby fell to the stairwell floor trying to get out of her brother's clutches.

"Get up," he shouted at her.

Alec Wickford grabbed his sister and was dragging her up the small stairwell and toward the edge of the rooftop helipad by the back of her neck. Not as dramatic as he was hoping it to be, but who could argue. His escape craft was on the way and he needed to get rid of the evidence before they arrived.

He dragged his sister toward the edge.

"How can you do this Alec?" Abby screamed as she overlooked the edge and the death that awaited her. "Why?"

"I am not going to see that half of my wealth be taken from me," he told her, "simply because dad is too afraid that power will go to my head."

"Hasn't it?"

"Yeah, surprisingly," he told her. "And I am not even in control yet. Strange, is it not? With you out of the way and Andrew out of the picture, there is no one left to stop me."

"You will not get away with this!"

"I already have," he said and was ready to throw her off the edge.

Suddenly, Iron Man appeared, bursting through the floor, and he knew that he had to get his mission over with.

Alec shoved his sister off the helipad and to her doom.

"Oh, no you don't," the metallic warrior said and shot an object in Abygail's direction even though she was in mid-flight. Whatever it was, it had a long cable on it extending from his forearm.

* * *

><p>Abby flew through the air, but was suddenly tied up by a long gold cable. It wrapped around her waist, trapping her arms against her body. The hook secured itself to the cord and trapped itself at her back.<p>

She came to a sudden jerk and watched, swaying in the breeze, through the window of her father's top floor office as the other warrior, War Machine was dealing with her brother's hitman. He wasn't doing too badly, but The Mandarin did look like he was faltering a bit.

"Abby! Abby hang on!" she heard what she thought was Tony's voice calling out to her.

"Do I have a choice!" she shouted back.

* * *

><p>Tony watched as Alec Wickford pulled out a different handgun, a semi-automatic pistol of silver from his hilt and pointed it at him. "OK, man, take it easy." He still had Abby hanging from his out extended wrist. "You don't want this."<p>

"You think that I am aiming for you Stark?" Wickford said. "I could care royally less whether The Mandarin finishes you or your partner off. I am going to shoot you to where that cable breaks and my plan goes through to fruition."

"You don't want to kill her Alec," he tried to get him to change his mind.

"Oh, now see I do," the brother replied and shot at him, but he ducked out of the way.

Abby dropped slightly, but quickly and she screamed.

"My father was stupid to have more than one child," Alec rambled on. "He said that he refuses to give all the controlling power to one child. The company will not be profitable if it does. That's why I framed my brother with drugs while he was away at college and I knew that he wasn't going to let Abygail into the "business," but then she had to go to school and get smart too. Now he gives me half Uncle Justin buys me out, kill her, and I am wealthier than I could ever imagine."

"But why Wickford?" he asked as he tried to synchronize with JARVIS to auto-retract the cable without him saying a word. He needed to get Abby up on a level surface before he could engage with the unstable brother. "Absolute power…"

"…corrupts, I know," Alec said and shot at him again, but Tony rolled to the side to avoid another chance at the cable. The youth was laughing at him. "Oh come on Stark, how long do you think that you can keep her level before I catch that cable and she goes down? I don't think that you are Superman and could catch her before she hits the bottom."

"We'll just have to test that, won't we," he dared him. "JARVIS, cable retract!" he shouted quickly.

The cable began to retract, but that was when Wickford got him in the arm with a bullet. The retractor was damaged and the line snapped.

Tony flew down to grab it with his hands, but there was no telling how far Abby had fallen down the line.

He peered over and saw that she was still hanging there, but was screaming.

"Hang on Abs," he called down to her. "I have you."

* * *

><p>Abby looked up and saw Tony holding onto the cable just at the end of the helipad, but there was no telling how long he was going to be able to hold onto it.<p>

Then she saw her brother with what appeared to be a large bat that was electrically charged.

"Tony, look out!" she cried.

He was struck by Alec's prodding object and electricity surged through his body. She could feel his body shaking under the strain by the way the cable moved and lowered her further.

"You have to try and climb up Abs," Tony shouted before being electrocuted again.

"I can't!" she cried out.

"Yes you can," he said as he was looping the end of the cable around one of the metal rim's pipes. "I believe in you." He tied it tight and finally let go of the line to deal with Alec.

Carefully as not to loosen the hook from around the line, she wormed one of her arms out of the wrapping and grabbed onto the cord.

"OK," she whispered. "I can do this. Come on heart. Don't fail me yet."

Abby worked to free her other arm and the cable became very loose to where she dropped a little further as the cable secured itself around her waist completely, a boa, squeezing her to death.

The battery pack to her LVAD suddenly became dislodged from her belt and was dangling down near her ankles.

"Oh God," she said and did not want to look down at the cars and gathering people below her, but if she did not reach down for the battery pack, she would go into cardiac arrest and die; if it became disconnected from the wires in her abdomen.

Die when she reached the top of the cable or die while she was hanging here…great options.

She attempted to lean backwards while holding onto the cable and lower herself to get to the battery pack.

Unexpectedly, she did fall backwards and was now looking straight down at the street below.

"Oh god," she repeated and shut her eyes. When she reopened them after catching her breath, she noticed that the hip pack was now closer to her hands. Abby reached out and grabbed hold of it.

Now she had to get level again, with the use of only one hand.

* * *

><p>Tony Stark continued to struggle…not in dealing with the unstable Alec Wickford, but in trying to not kill him. His body was wracked by the pain, but not from him shooting him with the gun or with the prodding device, but he was already weakened from the battle with the Mandarin.<p>

JARVIS said something to him. "Sir, systems down to ten percent and falling gradually."

"We can't go down yet JARVIS," he responded. "Redirect emergency power to the reactor."

"Sir, I highly advise against this course of action," the computer tried to tell him.

"Don't argue, just initiate," he ordered.

"Emergency power rerouted to ARC Reactor."

He was finally able to have the strength to get back to his feet, slowly, but back to level ground again.

A helicopter was approaching and that meant that they did not have much time to finish their dance.

Alec stared at the chopper that was coming to pick him up. It was going to be his escape, but Iron Man knew that he still had to finish what he had said out to do.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring from within.

"Can you guess what this is?" the boy said to him.

Tony knew even before he scanned it that he had possession of one of the ten rings. The Mandarin must have given Alec to use.

"Well, I think it is time that we ended this Iron Man," Wickford said to him.

"Are you insane Wickford?" he shouted. "You have no idea how to control The Mandarin's power! You could be killed."

"Maybe," Alec replied, "but I will not go alone." He put the ring on his right index finger and it glowed a bright blue. "You forget that this platform is made of metal and when you decided to hang my sister from a cable, you have just provided me with a conduit to kill her slowly. So farewell Iron Man. Give my personal farewell to my sister when you see her."

And with that, electricity poured from his ring toward him.

He leapt into the air to fly, but with his low power, he could not maintain it very long and crashed back to the helipad.

Alec fired again, but this time, he only sprung up to avoid it.

"Oh this is no fun," Wickford gloated. "You are not in your prime. You are just avoiding my attacks," and he blasted him again.

Tony put up his arm to take in the charge as best as he could.

"Sir," JARVIS said to him. "That electric blast was able to be absorbed into the arm shielding, providing a mild charge to the ARC reactor."

"Are you saying that he can bring me back?"

"Gradual increase in power can be obtained through absorption of the correct level of voltage," JARVIS analyzed. "Too low of voltage will provide little to no recharge and too high will cause intense damage to the internal systems."

"Well, we're just going to hope that he gives us the right blast," he replied and climbed back to his feet.

"Coming for more, are you?" Alec said to him.

"Why not? Keeps you away from Abby and allows time for my partner to defeat your assassin. Win-win situation for me."

Alec blasted him, but he did not get in the right position to absorb the electro energy.

"Sure, this is going to be easy," he mumbled to himself.

* * *

><p>Abygail Wickford could not pull herself level to where she was not dangling, without using the hand that was currently holding onto the battery pack. She needed her other hand.<p>

But she wasn't going to wait for Tony to pull her up either and by the noise that she was hearing, the battle was becoming intense.

Then an idea hit her.

She reached for the shoulder strap inside the bag and pulled it out. Then she placed the strap in her mouth so she did not have to hold onto it anymore.

With her hands free, she reached up for the cord that constricted her waist and was able to use her arm strength to pull herself finally upright.

Abby breathed with the strap in her mouth with her eyes closed to regain her focus.

Now it was time to pull her body up to the helipad.

* * *

><p>Tony was knocked back to the ground, but the voltage was not restoring him as well as he thought or JARVIS's calculations had told him.<p>

In fact, after all the shocking at the battling, he was growing to be far weaker than he was beforehand.

Still, he did not know if Abby was still hanging from the cable or had she fallen to her death or worse, she was dead and hanging on the cable.

"You're nothing Stark!" Alec shouted. "Nothing!"

He attempted to avoid a shot at him, but took a direct hit to his chest plate. He was knocked to the other side of the helipad, away from Abby or where she was hanging.

JARVIS and the Iron Man suit were going haywire. The computers were going offline and he could not see Alec Wickford anymore through the helmet.

This forced him to remove the helmet and toss it away, but not before he saw Wickford over him with the magnum to his head.

Tony began to think that this was the end.

"So long Stark," he said, "and do not worry, she'll be joining you…"

Suddenly, Wickford was knocked down by someone that had interfered. "Nice of you to show up Rhodey," he said, but then realized who was there.

It was Andrew Wickford.

"Not exactly," the middle yet twin brother replied. He took the electric prodding tool and belted his brother across the face.

Rich, red blood poured from his temple and a bruise would soon appear from the attack.

"I knew I should have just killed you instead of getting you disowned," Alec said to him.

"Would have been simpler, wouldn't it have?" Andrew replied and attacked him with a swift attack to the stomach.

The helicopter was getting ready to land on the platform. One of the crew members had a machine class gun of some sort and started shooting at them.

Tony climbed in between Andrew and the gun, knowing he could deflect the shots. Once they were done firing, he used the stabilizer and fired a blast at the shooter.

The gun was destroyed and fell to the ground.

"Thanks man," the brother said.

"Thank me by getting Abby," he told him.

"Where is she?"

"Hanging from that cable line over there," he said.

* * *

><p>Andrew dropped his pistol and went blazing over to the other side of the pad and slid on his stomach near the cable. "Abby!" he called down to her.<p>

Abygail looked up as she was trying to pull herself yet a little closer to the top and saw her twin brother there to help. _Wait a second, how did Andrew know what was happening? _Like she cared in this moment. "Andy! Help!" Her voice was muffled by the strap hanging in her mouth.

"That's what I am here for," he told her and grabbed onto the cable.

She kept climbing a little more, but Andrew was doing his best to pull her up. He was struggling, but she was gaining some height.

"All right Abs, start reaching for me or the metal," he shouted to her.

"I don't know if I can," she told him.

"I won't let you fall sis. I promise."

When she thought that she was close enough, she began to reach up for his arm that was holding him up. He grabbed her arm and thankfully, she was going to be on level ground again.

* * *

><p>He had finally had enough of the childishness.<p>

Tony was trying to distract Alec Wickford so that Andrew could have the opportunity to rescue Abby from the cable line.

Before Alec could get off a shot with his gun, he grabbed the prodding tool to belt the gun out of his hands.

The magnum went flying away and Tony knew that was only one weapon.

He had to get the ring too.

"That ring is not yours," Tony growled.

"Oh, but I will only play with it for a few more minutes until I kill you," Alec told him before blasting him with yet another blast from the electro shocking ring.

"JARVIS, charging bay," he shouted and put up his forearm to hopefully absorb the charge.

"Charging instituted sir," JARVIS told him.

He did start to feel a little stronger so the battery meters must have risen slightly, but Alec Wickford must have realized what he was doing and stopped charging him.

"You bastard!" Wickford shouted and charged at him with his fists flying.

Tony blocked the punches, but knew that he had to try and get the ring off of his hand. Their hands met and were deadlocked as they struggled to defeat the other.

Finally, Alec went in for a swipe, but Tony twisted his wrist around and plucked the blue stone from his hand.

He chucked it over the ledge.

"No!" Alec howled, now knowing that he was powerless.

* * *

><p>Jamie Rhodes was having a difficult time in defeating The Mandarin. He was trying to weaken the assassin, but was finding that with all the power rings, even the ones that he knew were going to be used, the oriental was not backing down.<p>

He leapt out of the way and landed, just after The Mandarin used his left pinkie ring the most often and used the white light to try and blast him in the chest and take him out.

Rhodey was just too fast.

"You annoy me boy," The Mandarin shouted.

"Mutual," he replied.

He blasted him again, but the beams continued to miss, but this time the laser beam struck against one of the mirrored walls. The beam jumped from surface to surface before its power evaporated.

"Having trouble?" he mocked him.

The Mandarin attempted to use another of his rings, but suddenly he was shocked by one of them. He attempted to use them again, but they did the same thing.

"Hope those things come with a warranty and a user's manual?" James continued to annoy him. He wanted him to use the darklight power ring, but he kept picking the other rings to use.

The assassin attempted to use a different ring, but that was when his entire body began to glow. All of the power rings attempted to harm The Mandarin and were succeeding by the way that he was howling it was working.

Rhodey attempted to leave, but then a feral scream echoed throughout the room. He turned to face his combatant.

The Mandarin examined his hands and saw a disgusting sight. His hands were scaly and green in color. It was as if he had a hand transplant in two seconds. He saw the claws on his flesh and began to scream.

"Look at what you've done machine!" The Mandarin shouted.

"Me? How is this _my_ fault?" he joked.

With power glowing in his eyes, the assassin reached deep into himself and placed the ring with the darklight power out before him.

_That's it_, he thought. Finally he was going to use the ring that he wanted him to use.

War Machine stood before him and waited for the right moment.

"This dance is going to end now metal man," The Mandarin gloated and aimed at him with his right pinkie ring. The darklight power charged at him shot at him with his right pinkie ring, which he knew to be the darklight power ring.

_That's it baby_, he thought.

The Mandarin fired at him but before the blast reached him, Rhodes leapt into the air and pulled down one of the lowered mirrored panels and put it in between him and the blast.

The darklight power zinged off the panel and went right back to The Mandarin.

The Mandarin went flying across the room and smashed into the metal elevator door behind him. He slid back to the floor and remained there.

"And stay down boy," he told him.

There was more commotion from upstairs so he decided that he needed to go help Tony.

* * *

><p><em>Whew! That was a lot of point-of-view changes. But it had to be this way in order for you to experience what everyone is going through at the time. There is one more battle chapter and I think you will like it<em>


	19. Chapter 19 When one falls

_OK, just the title of this chapter cannot be good. Please remember to review._

_Your music is "Ivan escapes" from Iron Man II, then for the end of the scene, "Arc Reactor" from Iron Man I._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Nineteen - When one falls<strong>

Alec Wickford was struggling with Iron Man or Tony Stark; whatever he was, trying to hold his arms away while distracting him. He needed a new weapon.

"Why don't you act like a good boy and give it up?" Stark told him.

He looked over to the edge where his brother was and saw Abygail's red hair flying in the wind from the rotating helicopter.

She was indeed still alive.

"No!" he howled and slipped free of his grasp.

He reached for the gun and shot the metallic warrior in the leg.

Stark fell to the ground.

Tony groaned as he saw the bullet had pierced through the armor, but he could not tell if the bullet pierced his skin. It sure felt like it had, but he would have to take the armor off in order to find out.

"JARVIS," Tony wanted to know. "Did it penetrate?"

"Sir, sir," JARVIS tried talking to him before the computer went offline.

The armor became increasingly heavy and he was rendered still.

Tony watched as Alec headed over to where Andrew had just gotten Abygail back onto the helipad, but he shoved his brother in his direction and grabbed a handful of Abby's red hair.

"No," he groaned trying to get back to his feet, but could not.

"Time to secure my financial future and eliminate of two people of the last people that stand in my way," Alec said as he pointed the gun at Abygail as she struggled to get away from him. "Once I kill the two of you, all I have to do is smother our father and I will be in control of it all."

"Abby!" Tony cried out, but with his armor being shocked and with JARVIS being offline, he could barely move across the platform to get to her.

"Abby, look out!" Andrew shouted and pushed her out of the way while he tried to wrestle the gun away from him.

* * *

><p>Abby fell to the ground and watched them struggle for the gun.<p>

"Abby," Tony called to her and their hands joined together. She tried crawling to be protected by his armor, but she was increasingly weak.

"Come on," he struggled and groaned to get up. "We need to go, now."

Suddenly, when the gun was at the mid-section of both of the men, a loud echoing gunshot cut through the silence.

And both of them were still in what they were doing.

"No!" Abby screamed, but was unaware of what had happened.

The brothers looked at each other.

An eternity passed. Who was the one who had been shot?

Her answer came...just as Andrew slowly collapsed to the platform. The magnum bullet had pierced into his abdomen and caused god knows what damage, but he was in this to save her. Blood covered his shirt.

"Andrew!" she cried out.

"Good riddance," Alec said as he cocked the pistol again and charged towards her to grab another fistful of Abby's red hair.

"No," Tony whispered and attempted to bring her tighter against him when they were parted.

Alec was dragging her back to the edge as he was intending to do in the first place. "I hope you can fly little angel," he told her, "because you are about to learn and not even your boyfriend or the other one can save you."

"Then I guess there is only one thing left to do," she said to him. She did not want to do it, but if she didn't, then all three of them would be killed.

Abby slammed her heel down into Alec's foot and he was forced to release her.

She spun around with her flying fist and struck him across the face, not once but twice. Following her fists came a spinning heel kick to his chin.

She heard Tony begging her to stop, but her adrenaline was kicked into high gear.

Abygail tried to strike him again when her heart started thumping very painfully. She put her hand to her chest and could feel the blood coming from the stitches. What was wrong with her?

She didn't get a chance to defend herself from a strike from her brother; a blow right to her temple, causing her to fall to the ground in between Tony and Alec.

Blood poured from a contusion on her temple. She was bleeding from two sources now, and that was straining what was already a weak heart.

"You stupid bitch!" he shouted as he reached down for his pistol. "Not the way I wanted it to happen, but I have to say that I am really going enjoy this."

She watched in horror as she wasn't going to die by being thrown off the building, but by being shot. Which was the better choice?

* * *

><p>Tony saw as his girlfriend was about to be killed and she had nowhere to crawl to.<p>

Then he saw Andrew's fallen pistol near his hand. He reached out and grabbed it. "Abby!" he cried out to her and slid the gun across the floor.

* * *

><p>Abby turned and saw the gun that Tony had slid to her. It arrived roughly into her hands. She then rolled onto her back and aimed at her brother between her parted legs.<p>

Alec went to shoot her, but his magazine was empty. He was in shock, but turned to face the gun that she held.

"No, I'm going to enjoy this," she whispered and shot at him. She had struck him point-blank in the forehead between his eyes. She shot him again two and three more times, striking him dead. His body stumbled backwards and inevitably, Alec's dead body took a tumble off the helipad to the street below.

Alec Wickford was deader than dead once he collided with the sidewalk.

Her arms collapsed to the floor after killing her brother and blackness took her.

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><p><em>Is she dead? Review and I will put up the chapter soon.<em>


	20. Chapter 20 Give me a sign here

_If you are just reading this one or you took a break in between, go back and reread chapters 17-19. You need to get recaught back up with what is going on. Let's see what happens, so please remember to review._

_Music for this is "Vacation's Over" for the beginning and "Dying hero" for the rest of the chapter.  
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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty - Show me a sign<strong>

Seconds passed like hours. The battle was over.

Tony saw that Abby was not moving. Her body gave out after shooting her brother and was no longer showing signs of life.

"Abby?" he called out her name amongst his gasping breath.

Nothing.

He used his arms to pull himself in the armor closer to the woman he loved, but with a potential bullet in his leg, it was proving to be difficult and painful.

"Abby," he called out her name, but she did not respond to him. He made it to her body and lifted her upper body into his arms. "Come on babe, you can't die yet."

She did not stir and he began to panic. "Come on Abs," he begged of her. "Come on. Show me a sign here."

Abby was still not coming around.

"Come on, don't you leave me," he begged, shaking her lightly. "You can't leave me." He smoothed her sweaty, blood covered strands back and was about to weep that perhaps Abby's heart had finally given out and she was no longer alive. "You can't die," he cried out in anger and sadness.

Tony brought the woman he loved against his fading Arc Reactor, left a kiss on her head, and rocked her dead body back and forth. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, kissing her yet again. "I should have stopped him before you were taken. If I had, may you would still be…"

Suddenly, Abby did gasp to try and intake a huge breath that she did not have.

He was in shock as he released her and tried to hold her body level so she could breathe.

Her eyes zipped around in the sockets as she tried to examine where she was and that was when their eyes locked.

"I'm in heaven," she whispered as she reached to try and touch his face, but she couldn't.

"Not yet beautiful," he told her smoothing her hair back, "but I am not going to allow you to go just yet."

He took her hand and brought it up so he could kiss it. Every precious breath she got was painful as she forced it up. Her hand rested on the reactor and that was when he saw that there was blood on her shirt near her abdomen. The heart pump had been damaged or her heart had been damaged further.

She was going to die right before his eyes.

The stairwell door was blasted open and Jamie appeared there.

"You all right?" Rhodey asked.

"She's bleeding Rhodey. I don't know from where, but we have to get her to the hospital."

"Then fly," War Machine replied. "I'll take care of the clean up."

"I can't. I took a bullet to the right leg, but I can't be sure. I need you to take her Dr. Eisenberg and tell him that he needs to repair the damage and tell him that I may have a heart for him."

"May or will?" he asked.

"Just do it man!" Tony shouted.

Rhodey was as gentle as he could be with Abygail Wickford and held her close to him. "You better show."

With that, he lifted off from the helipad and into the night sky to get her to the hospital.

With JARVIS offline, he used a backup communicator to call for Pepper. "Contact Pepper," he called into the communicator.

It rang and finally he heard, "Tony," when Pepper's voice answered.

"Bring a car to Teradyne Tech headquarters. Preferably something worthy of a hero."

"I'm already on my way," she replied. "Be there in a couple minutes."

Tony moved over to Andrew Wickford who was indeed still alive, but with the blood that he had lost and the location of the magnum round, he would not make it very long.

"How you doing man?" he asked.

The Wickford twin laughed briefly. "Oh, just great," Andrew replied. "Going to book that racquet ball lesson later today." They both laughed at the joke. "At least now I can be reintroduced to the family and save it from itself."

"We're going to get you to the hospital and they are going to take care of you there," Tony promised him. "We're going to stick your brother's heart in Abby's chest and she…"

"He won't match her," Andrew said, "but I will."

"What?"

"I'm AB-," he told him, "because I am her twin. I have a better chance at saving Abby than Alec does."

"But if you do, you'll…"

"I'm all right with it Stark," Andrew said. "Just get me to the hospital and let my sister and I be one forever."

Tony complied with his wishes, lifted him from the ground, and forced himself onto his bad leg to bring Andrew Wickford down to the main level.

Hopefully Pepper and the car were waiting for him.

* * *

><p>Alexander Wickford rolled out in his wheelchair to where press photographers and bystanders were snapping pictures of his deceased eldest son Alec on the sidewalk, dead from either the fall or the gunshot to the head.<p>

He was so upset with him for the lies that he told about his twins Andrew and Abygail to make himself look good, and probably would have killed him himself.

But at least someone had done it for him. Maybe one of the metallic men or a member of the SHIELD group. Either way, he was out of his hair.

"Oh, another mess that I have to clean up for you this time," he said in struggling voice.

He noticed a piece of paper hanging out from his jacket and lowered himself to get it.

The paper was a folded up Last Will and Testament for Abygail Wickford. He scanned it quickly and saw every interesting things; especially her signing over her share of the company and the donation of all her assets to benefit the company and not charity as she had told him she was going to do.

"This is obviously not what she wanted," he said. "I think we will have to destroy this James."

"Yes sir," his private guard James said to him, taking the forged document.

A fast moving sedan, not one of his, came to a sliding stop in front of the building. From within the black car, a radiant red head stepped out in a panic.

"I'm looking for Iron Man," she shouted.

"Right here," the voice replied.

Tony Stark in his Iron Man persona walked out of his building, carrying the body of whom he believed to be his middle child and Abby's twin Andrew.

"Andrew?" he said. "Not you too."

Andrew looked at him. "It's OK father," he said. "I forgive you."

"We have to get him to the hospital to save Abby," Stark told the woman as he brought him toward the car through the photographers.

"How?" Alexander asked.

"By giving her the one thing that she needs," his son replied.

Of course, they were twins, same blood type and all, but that also meant. His thoughts were silent as Wickford knew he would be losing two children, maybe all three in one night.

"Get him inside Tony," the redhead asked him to do. "We need to keep him alive Dr. Eisenberg told me on the way here. If he goes into any sort of organ failure or his heart stops, Abby is…"

"She's not dying," Tony corrected her as he gently placed Andrew on the seat. He was struggling to hold on. "Not today, tonight, or ever. Now Andrew, my man, you have to hold on. Just a few extra minutes."

"I'm not dying until I want to," Wickford replied.

"Get him out of here," Stark told the female. I'm not going to fit in there so I will have SHIELD take me home to change and you tell Abby I will be there as soon as I am out of the suit."

"I got it, I got it," she said. "Just hurry." Pepper climbed in to be next to Andrew Wickford and ordered to Happy to haul it.

SHIELD provided a police escort to lead them through the city to get to UCLA faster.

"Hey," Tony said. "Can I get a ride to my place so I can get out of this suit?"

Agent Coulson looked at him, but a call from someone, no doubt his boss Fury, as he told him to do as he says.

Alexander ordered James to get his private car.

Right now, his children or child would need him.

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><p><em>Let's see if Andrew is in time to save his sister. Do not forget those reviews.<em>


	21. Chapter 21 My heart to keep

_This one is a shortie, but filled with drama. Please remember to review, but you might need some tissues for this one.  
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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-one - My heart to keep<strong>

_UCLA Medical Center (Santa Monica)_

The caravan of Acuras escorting a black AUDI belonging to Tony Stark pulled up with the aid of the SHIELD car there, blaring its sirens and horns to allow them passage into the emergency wing.

"Help!" Pepper screamed. "I have a man dying in here."

The doctors came out to the car and were ready to carry in the person that they wanted to carry in.

"What happened?" the paramedic demanded to know.

"Well I think it is quite obvious," Pepper shouted. "He was shot. He's here for Abygail Wickford. This is her twin Andrew Wickford."

"Yeah, Abygail Wickford was just flown in here by that other iron man person," a nurse said. "Said something about an organ transplant was on the way."

"Well here I am," Andrew said.

The medical crews were stunned.

"Well, don't just stand there," she shouted. "Get him inside so we can make this happen."

And everyone resumed what they should have been doing in the first place to get Andrew Wickford inside the hospital.

* * *

><p>"As you are no doubt aware Mr. Wickford," Dr. Eisenberg said, "we will not and you will not be able to sustain your life if you give your heart to your sister."<p>

"I'm dying doc," Andrew Wickford told the doctor as he lied on the table. "I am signing over my right to live and ordering you to not use heroic measures to save my life. Let me go, take my heart, and put it into my twin sister. I am not going to survive the night with all the damage. I might as well let what is left do the talking. Take anything you can get from me."

The doctor took the clipboard and read the results of the test on the heart.

"Well, Mr. Wickford, it seems that being that you are the fraternal twin to your sister, your heart would indeed bring your sister back to life, as her heart is on the verge of failing permanently.

"I have to ask you yet again Mr. Wickford, are you giving us the authorization to allow your life to terminate and not use heroic measures to bring you back and in turn, transfer your heart to your sister?" Eisenberg asked the question yet again.

"I am granting the authorization," he replied. "Where do I sign?"

He was getting ready to sign the form on the clipboard, when a nurse came in from the other trauma room beside his.

"Doctor, she crashing!" she shouted to him.

The doctor left the room and into Abby's as they struggled to bring her back to life.

"Is it Abby?" he asked in panic.

Another doctor that was with Eisenberg looked to him before saying, "We need to do this now," the intern said. "If you want us to save your sister, we have to go in and save her before she goes into multiple organ failure. Are you prepared to do what you are going to do?"

Andrew looked into the room and saw Abygail there. She was hooked up to machines that were helping her to breathe, give her nutrients, and keep her heart beating until he could save her.

"Let's do it," he said and swiped the pen out of his hand to sign, literally, his "death warrant."

Within minutes after the IVs were all installed and devices hooked to him, the organ transplant team pushed Andrew Wickford into the operating room. He was all cleaned and one clamp kept him from bleeding internally. Soon, it would be up to the machines and this clamp that would speed his death along and bring Abby back to life.

They had gotten her back after being down for nearly two minutes, but they had to intubate and shock her to get her heart to show any signs of life, but she fought back.

They brought their stretchers close together so they could share their goodbyes.

He reached through the railing and grasped his sister's cold hand in his. He massaged it tightly and said his last words to her. "You remember now sis," he said. "You can't get into anymore trouble, because now I am going to be everywhere that you go. I will be the one that disciplines you for now on. Make me proud and marry that cute hero of yours OK?"

The stretchers were parted and he could feel himself getting tired as he stared up into the fluorescent light above him. His body did ache all over from the bullet wound their oldest sibling had given him, but he would rather go sooner than later.

Eisenberg looked down on him as he lied there. "We're about to begin now Mr. Wickford," he told him. "Are you ready?"

"Just let me have it," Andrew said. "Put me out of my misery."

The doctor nodded to a nurse who removed the clamp from inside his body. It was the last thing that was keeping him from bleeding out when he arrived. They had to get the transplant team and Abygail ready for the surgery so they had to save him at least for a little while.

Slowly, he could feel the pain in his body and his heart beginning to slow down. His life was slowly slipping away.

His subconscious was screaming, "save me, save me," and he fought back every urge to scream out for help.

He wanted to die…for his sister. Tears rained down the sides of his face as he knew what he was leaving behind…all for love.

Andrew was growing sleepier and the pain was vanishing by the second. Everything was blurring around him, but he turned to his sister who they were getting ready to open up for surgery. She was so pale and cold that she looked almost dead.

"I'm with you sis...always," he whispered before he closed his eyes for the last time.

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><p><em>Go grab your tissues. What a way to go...a hero! Please review!<em>


	22. Chapter 22 I want an answer

_Now this one is longer and has a lot of time passage. Just be sure to follow the spots and stay with it. Please review!  
><em>

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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-two - I want an answer<strong>

The main entrance of the hospital was surrounded by press who were forced to remain outside by the security guards. They all wanted to know what was the condition on the attempted murder of Abygail Wickford, but the guards ignored them.

Tony Stark's silver Audi pulled up in a hurry outside the hospital and he quickly raced inside. His left foot still had on his Iron Man boot, but he was using it to support his possibly shot leg from the fight earlier. The bullet had indeed pierced into his skin according to JARVIS, but in order to be able to get the hospital to get treatment and to see Abby, he did what was necessary.

"Hey, your car man?" the guard said.

"Tow it," he shouted and went running through the hospital looking for the surgery ward.

He ran through the hospital only resembling the same speed as when he was trying to outrun the terrorists who had kidnapped him years ago. His boot clanged the floor with fierce echoing force, but he wasn't worried about what others thought of him.

He wanted to get to Abby.

Tony watched the signs that he passed looking for the Surgical Ward. Pepper had given him directions, but he could not remember everything she had told him.

Finally, there was a sign that said **Special Surgical Ward** and **Special Surgical Ward Waiting Room**. He veered to the right and found a long window that looked in somewhere.

He stopped suddenly when he saw that it was an operating room behind the glass. He was allowed to see into the room.

The main bed under the lights was empty, but there were members inside cleaning up the blood-covered blankets, towels, and equipment while another pair were covering up the body of the person they were about to take out.

"Please. Please God no," he begged as he looked through the window.

He moved aside and finally caught a glimpse of the person that was about to be carried out.

The body about to be covered was that of Andrew Wickford. He had an oxygen tube hanging out of his mouth and a large cut across his chest.

Was it wrong of him to be glad that it was not his precious girl, but her twin there instead? But had they been successful?

"Tony," a familiar voice called out to him.

"Abby," he said her name.

It was not Abby. It was James and Pepper walking towards him, two coffees in hand and a blanket over her shoulders.

"Sorry," he replied.

"It's OK," she replied. "I understand why you would have thought it would be her voice calling out to you. Why do you still have one of your boots on?"

"JARVIS verified that I took a bullet to my shin," he told her. "Nothing serious, but I wanted to be able to run down the hallway here so I figured, what a better cast."

"We're at a hospital and we are going to have that checked out while you are here."

"Not now. I want to hear…" he stopped talking as someone walked toward them. "Dr. Eisenberg," he called his name. Are you the one that took care of my Abby?"

"I did," Eisenberg replied.

"Did she make it? I mean I saw...I mean I see her brother there dead, so…is she?"

"Ms. Wickford is quite a remarkable woman," the doctor told him. "She held on with a damaged heart for two weeks on an LVAD system, her traumatic events of this evening, and now a complete heart transplant. She is nothing short of remarkable." The doctor seemed amused with her recovery.

"She sure is," he replied. "Can I see her or is she conscious yet?"

"It will take a couple if not several days for Ms. Wickford to regain consciousness," the doctor informed him. "The heart responded slowly, but eventually did pick up to become a normal sinus rhythm. Her body needs to restore itself to normal functioning and feeling before her body will allow her to wake up."

"Can she hear me, I mean will she be able to hear me?"

"I am not sure, but once we move her to the CICU unit," the doctor told them, "you will be free to visit with her. We are going to have to put her on immunosuppressants right away to keep the heart functioning and that will seriously drain her strength, but I do not doubt that in about four weeks or so, she will be up and walking around."

"Lets go see her," Tony said, but suddenly fell down.

"Stark," Rhodey said to him and tried to help him up.

The pain shot up his leg and he knew that the bullet must be causing more damage with his running and walking around. "Ah, it's my leg," he groaned.

"I'll get a chair," Dr. Eisenberg said and ran off to get one.

"Hang in there Tony," Pepper said to him, trying to hold him up

After about three hours of waiting and getting his leg put into a regular plaster cast, the hospital staff members were escorting Pepper Potts, James Rhodes, and Tony Stark up to the CICU unit and to room 2459 that was labeled PRIVATE and two guards stood outside to protect it.

They were members of Alexander Wickford's Executive Protection unit and they were assigned to keep everyone away.

He figured that Wickford would have had him banned, barred, and thrown on his can out of the hospital. Instead, quite the opposite. He was allowed to be with her.

They were cleared to enter, but Pepper and Rhodey decided to offer Tony private time with Abby.

"We're going to get some food," she told him. "You should eat something. Want us to bring you back something?"

"No. I'll eat after I go home. You two go ahead."

"We'll be back in a little while," Rhodey told him and gave him a hug before he walked inside on his crutches.

There was a nurse in the room, checking Abby's vitals and documenting them on a chart. "I'll be right out at the desk if you need anything sir," she told him.

He nodded his head lightly and she left the room, closing the door behind her.

Tony approached her bed and dragged the stool over to sit beside her. "Many honey," he said to her. "Do we look like hell or what?" He let out a brief laugh. Reaching underneath the guardrail, he took her taped and tube covered hand in his and looked to her lying there.

Abygail looked to be dead. Her skin was very cold and pale, clammy looking to say the least, but she was still the most beautiful that he had ever seen her. She had a dressing around her head for the wound to her temple.

A tube was jammed down her throat to help her breathe, but soon she would not need it anymore. Another tube was taped to the side of her face to provide her the food that she needed to stay alive.

Or at least he prayed it was keeping her alive.

"OK," he said to her. He reached out and smoothed her messy hair back. "The doctors claim that you can hear me so I am going to pretend that you are actually listening to me. Wouldn't be the first time a woman ignored me."

And he talked to her for most of the evening about everything and anything, hoping beyond hope that she would wake up.

* * *

><p><em>For several days and nights, he stayed there. He ate the food that Pepper brought back and slept in the armchair beside her bed. He did not want to leave in case Abby ever regained consciousness. If and when she did, she would no doubt be terrified of where she was.<em>

_Doctors and nurses routinely came in and checked on her to see if she was breathing and how her heart was responding to the drugs that they were pumping into her. They constantly switched her body position around to keep the threat of bed sores down and routinely flexed her muscles to keep them from going stiff._

_After day six on the intubation tube, Abby was finally breathing on her own and they were able to remove it from her throat. They still put her on mask oxygen mask until she showed anymore improvement._

_Day thirteen passed and Abygail had still not awoken, but at least he was walking on his own. The doctors had removed the cast and his leg showed no more sign of injury or damage._

* * *

><p>It had been another long night and Tony was trying to go back to sleep in the chair when Pepper returned from yet another run to the cafeteria.<p>

"Tony," she said his name and he woke up again.

"Yeah," he said.

"You're needed in Somalia," she told him. "There's been a shipment of weapons on a military helicopter that has gone missing. They need you."

"Where's Rhodey?" he asked.

"He tried going, but Edwards Air Force Base called him to the Interior and will not allow him to leave," she advised him. "You're going to have to answer them."

He was not happy, but knew that if he had to go, he had to go.

Tony forced himself up from the chair and stood beside the love of his life in her vegetative state. "I have to go baby girl," he said, as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the box. In the box was the diamond solitaire that he was going to give her in Cabo San Lucas, but never got the chance to.

He put the ring in her right hand and closed her fingers around it against her body before whispering in her ear. "I sure hope that you have been listening to me, but I want this back with your answer when you wake up, OK?"

He left a kiss on her temple before he walked out of the room for the first time in over a week.

Once back to his home in Malibu, Stark gave the reactor a quick recharge and got secured into the Iron Man uniform. It had been freshly repaired and fit like the first time he had ever put it on.

Iron Man left the house VIA the garage and headed off toward Africa where he needed to recover some weapons.

* * *

><p><strong>Edwards Air Force Base<strong>

Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes was deep inside the Intelligence Area of the Edwards Air Force Base, listening to his troops under attack in Somalia. They were trying to defend the weapons cache that they had inside their downed Black Hawk from a renegade coup that was trying to steal them.

It was a nightmare and there was nothing that he could do. He had tried to leave, even sneak out to get back and transform into War Machine, but guards were clearly poised at all the egresses to make sure that he did not leave.

Now all he could was wait.

The communicator in his pocket started to go off and he was shocked to hear it buzzing and vibrating. He was even more surprised to see who was calling.

"Tony?" he called once he answered.

"You rang," Tony's voice replied.

Inside the base, he could hear several men in the command area started cheering when they heard that it was Iron Man on his way to address the situation.

"It's so good to hear your voice man," Rhodey said to him. "Where the Hell are you?"

"Flying over the Atlantic right now. Should be there in about five minutes. Have them hang tight until then."

There was a brief moment of silence, but Jamie turned his back to the soldiers and technicians to ask his following question.

"How's little Abygail?" he asked.

"Still a vegetable," Tony replied.

"She'll come out of it man. She loves you too much to stay the way she is."

Tony was silent for a second before he said, "tell her heart that one."

"When I get back to Santa Monica, I will tell her heart to wake up," Rhodey joked. "Stick some of my wife's urban cooking up that tube will give her heartburn for a week. Enough to jolt her awake."

Tony let out one brief chuckle. "Call you back in a couple of minutes," he said.

"Lieutenant Colonel, sir," a technician said to him, "I have a confirmed bogey entering the perimeter. Orders?"

"Tell the men down there not to fire and return to a blocking formation," Rhodey told them. "Their help has arrived."

The communicator was still on as he could hear Tony talking to the computer or to himself during the battle.

Jamie could hear some things like "machine guns" followed by gunfire and missiles destroying objects as well as Tony ordering radar locks on people hidden in hollows and houses.

Finally, after all the screaming and the destruction, he had to shut the radio down due to the noise.

Iron Man was going to win another one.

* * *

><p>The fight was over and Iron Man was flying back to his home.<p>

The helicopter that the Marines had been in was destroyed, but another helicopter transferred the cargo to it and the men, injured or not were escorted out of the zone and to safety on the awaiting aircraft carrier.

As he flew, JARVIS gave him the diagnostic report.

"Sir, ARC Reactor power at less than fifteen and falling," the AI said to him. "We will have barely enough sustainable power to get home."

"Hold me out until we get there," he ordered. "Reroute any reserve systems and shut down unnecessary resources until we get home. I wanted to go see Abby when we got home."

"I advise against that sir," the computer told him, knowing that it would make him upset. "You need a good six to eight hour recharge or the reactor will cease operation, causing you to slip into cardiac…"

"I know, I know, I know what it will do," he said. "Is there any way to avoid a shut down?"

"No directive or objective will complete this task sir," JARVIS told him.

Finally, he arrived home and landed in the garage.

The suit was removed and he headed upstairs. JARVIS was right as always in that he was increasingly weaker than he normally was. If he did not lie down and get some sleep, he could die.

Pepper was there and she was getting ready to adjourn for the night when he came upstairs.

"Tony," she said. "I thought you would be at the hospital by now."

"JARVIS says the reactor is on the verge of failure," he told her. "If I don't recharge now, I'll die."

"Then we need to get you all set up then and plugged in. Do you need me to get you anything?"

He headed up the steps to his room and stripped off his nylon shirt he wore under the armor and put on something more comfortable.

Tony was about to take a drink of the scotch when he brought it to his lips, but changed his mind on the nightcap. He poured the liquid back into the bottle and set the glass down.

Pepper decided that she was going to leave and began to leave the room.

"Hey Pep," he called to her before she walked out of his room.

"Yeah boss," she replied.

"Can you get me something to put me to sleep…please?" he asked.

Pepper smiled lightly and said, "Let me get something from downstairs."

Tony crawled into bed, reached over to grab the ring to encircle the ARC, and got himself comfortable before Pepper got back.

His assistant returned with a sleeping narcotic, which he took with the water she also brought. Once it had metabolized, he did not remember much as he slipped into a calm sleep.

* * *

><p><em>Too sweet, huh? He wants Abby to marry him and he is going to stop drinking. Come on! The gushy lovey dovey-ness is not done yet. Make sure to review as we are almost to the end of our story. <em>


	23. Chapter 23 It beats only for one

_OK, now lets check on our favorite new lady. Please review..._

_I would listen to "Father and Son" from Tron: legacy for this chapter  
><em>

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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-three - It beats only for one<strong>

_UCLA Medical Center_

It had all been a dream. It had to have been.

Slowly, the world came back into focus and her eyes had been shut for a while so it took several minutes for her realize that it was not dark anymore. It was very much light out.

From the announcements for a Code Blue and nurses running down the hall to respond, Abygail Wickford realized where she was currently lying.

She was in a hospital.

Her eyes darted back and forth, scanning and trying to focus. How could she be in a hospital?

She felt the tube that was taped to her face, the devices that covered her hands, the machines that monitored her heart rate as it…wait, she did not have the LVAD portable unit in her chest anymore. No wires extended from her side to be hooked to a power source.

Abby looked to the long scar that stretched from above her chest and in between her breasts. She reached and felt the light thunking of a heart inside her chest.

She had a new a heart.

But how. It was nearly impossible for her to get a new heart. Darien even said so with her AB- blood type.

Her thoughts were soon diverted to someone entering her room. "Tony?" she said his name.

It was Tony's friend Lt**.** Colonel James Rhodes, the man she heard Tony call Rhodey on several occasions when their paths crossed. He had a coffee in his hands that he was trying to blow on to cool.

Their eyes met and he was shocked to see her awake.

"Well hello there Ms. Wickford," he greeted her. "Finally decided to return to the mortal world."

"What?" she asked.

"You've been asleep for two, almost three weeks," he told her before taking a sip of his coffee.

Abby's head crashed back to the pillow that she was trying to sit up from. "Is that why I can barely move?" she asked and smelled her hair. "Oh god, you're right."

"Most likely. Tony's been worried sick about you. Coming in and out, in and out, running off to battle, and then right back here with you."

"Where is he now?" she asked.

"He had to go to Somalia for a brief skirmish. Uh, he's OK, but he was completely drained so don't worry. I'm sure that once he recharges, pending there is no further trouble, he will be right here this evening with you."

"Speaking of me being here," she was going to ask him, "how is it that I am here? I mean, I have a heart now."

"You can thank your brother Andrew for that," James told her quickly and without a breath before drinking his coffee.

That's it, she thought. Andrew had said that they were fraternal twins which meant that they had the same blood type. "Where is he?" she asked.

Rhodey clearly was trying to think of what to say. "I'm sorry Abby," she said. "The bullet tore him to pieces on the inside. He was going to die of internal bleeding because they couldn't isolate all the artery tears in his body. He signed himself over as a DNR and made Dr. Eisenberg give his heart to you."

A tear slipped from her eye and now she knew why she lived. Andrew sacrificed himself for her to live. Her elder brother had been shot by her and Andrew shot by him. She was the only surviving Wickford child remaining.

Another person entered the room. "Tony?" she called out for him hoping it was him, but again disappointment.

"No Ms. Wickford," her doctor said as he entered the room. "Look at you. Finally awake. How long have you been awake?"

"Just a few minutes," Rhodey replied. "She was awake when I came back from coffee."

"How are you feeling?" he asked as he checked the heart monitor to check the rhythm.

"Like I need an hour long shower and some decent food in my system," she told him.

"Well, now that you have regained consciousness, I don't see why we cannot accommodate those demands," Eisenberg said and pushed the nurse's request button. "Soup broth and water for a couple of days to reintroduce your stomach to food and gradually get back to solids." The nurse arrived. "Chloe, can you see that Ms. Wickford is given assistance and materials for bathing and I will extract this feeding tube?"

"Yes doctor," she replied and walked away.

Darien slowly came around, removed the tape from her face, and lightly yanked the tube out from her throat. It felt great to fully swallow normally again.

"Darien," Abby called out his name to prevent him from leaving.

"Yes Abby?" he asked.

"I want to get out of here for a few minutes. Do you think that I could be given a day-pass, just for a couple of hours?"

"Oh I don't know Abby," Eisenberg cautioned. "It is dangerous for you right now. Your heart is just getting use to its new location and any stress could cause problems."

"I just want to visit with Tony and Rhodey here will push me in a wheelchair and not allow me to move from it while I am out. I need to get out of here."

"Lieutenant?" Eisenberg asked.

"I would be honored. I'll make sure that she does not move from the wheelchair at any time," Rhodey replied.

Dr. Eisenberg thought about it for a minute. "You are to be back in this bed by 5 PM, you hear me?"

Abby nodded briefly.

"I'll get it prepared and send up a chair for you in about an hour. Give you time to get presentable," the doctor said. "You had better not come back here in an ambulance through the Emergency Center or you and I are going to have words."

"Thanks doc," she replied.

He left and Abby waited for the moment when she would get to take her shower and get some food to sustain her body.

"Rhodey, mind helping me out?" she asked she flung off the blankets and sheets. As she attempted to get out of bed on her own, she heard an object hit the floor that had been wrapped in her blankets.

Rhodey reached down and grabbed it for her. "Damn," he said and placed it in her hand. "I assume that has to be for you?"

It was a very large diamond solitaire.

Abby knew that she was going to need this when she left to go see Tony.

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><p><em>Oh come on, had to separate these chapters, but I have posted the next one with it so keep on going! Do not forget those reviews!<em>


	24. Chapter 24 Day pass

_Oh I could not leave you hanging with that chapter. Here is the scene I know that you all are for. _

_Oh music, must have music "The Ayrie" from Love Never Dies for this section will do just lovely.  
><em>

_Do not forget to review!  
><em>

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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-four: Day pass<strong>

_Stark Residence_

The black limousine with the Teradyne Technologies logo on the front and side of the car pulled up to the gate of Tony Stark's house.

The driver took James's entry card that allowed the gate to be opened, which it did and they pulled into the grounds.

Abygail watched as the grass and hills passed by the window that she leaned against. She knew that she was getting closer to his house as the car slinked up the hills and came around to the circle at the front door.

"Stay here Abby," James told her as he climbed out of the other door.

She looked around and waited to see if she could see Tony or Pepper, but the house was pretty shut up even on the gorgeous day.

The door opened.

"You know the rules," he told her.

She looked at him with a frown, but then moved aside so he could reach into the car and take her up into his arms.

"Last I checked Lieutenant," she joked with him, "it is supposed to be the groom that is supposed to carry me over the threshold. Not his best friend."

"Well, we'll call this a practice run to train you to get ready to walk across _that_ threshold," he replied, shifted her up closer and carried her toward the front doors of the house.

James carried Abygail into the house and she looked around for Tony.

Pepper Potts came around the corner and was shocked to see him carrying Abygail Wickford in his arms.

"Hey Pepper," he said.

"Rhodey, what are you doing here; especially with her? Don't tell me you busted her out of the hospital?" she was yelling, but trying to keep her voice down.

"Day pass," Abby said to her. "I wanted to see Tony."

"Where is he?" Rhodey asked.

"He just got home a couple of hours ago," she told them. "He was pretty drained so he is upstairs, plugged into the charging unit. He actually took a sleeping pill all on his own because he wanted to sleep and then come see you later this evening…but now you are here. Why are you here?"

"I want to see him, but in order to save my strength and to keep my doctor happy; I had Rhodey carry me from the hospital to the car and the car to where we stand. Can't be wearing myself out right now, can I? Rhodey dear, take me up there, will you?"

"Why certainly Princess," he replied and proceeded to carry her up the spiral stairs.

Pepper tried protesting, but by the look on her face as she watched her as she was carried upstairs that she was glad to see her.

They reached the top of the staircase and she peered into the open room. There Tony was asleep, with a cord extending from the glowing ARC unit that rested within his chest.

"You can set me down here," she told him.

James set her down gently and she had to regain her balance and poise before she attempted to take a step. "Are you going to be OK?" he asked her. "You know what Dr. Eisenberg said."

"Yeah," she replied. "But I have to walk before they'll let me check out of the hospital for good. I'll be fine."

She took a few more uneasy steps, as a baby taking their first steps explored the possibility of movement, but once she got going, she was OK to continue into Tony's room.

Andrew's heart in her chest beat nervously under the strain of motion and emotion that was going through her body, but she stopped for a moment to calm her body down.

Abby continued forward and finally, ran out of objects to hang onto. It was all a leap of faith of now.

Releasing her hand from the wall, she stepped away, but did not fall on her face as she was predicting that she would.

She reached the bed and took a seat next to Tony who did not stir.

Giving Rhodey thumbs up that she was safe, he left them alone.

Moving closer to her lover, Abby moved aside the arm that was against his stiff form and lied down so that she fit securely in his embrace.

She noticed the ARC reactor glowing in his chest. It pulsed that it was charging, but it was a rhythm that reminded her of her own heartbeat. She traced her fingers around the warm metal object before she put her head down on his shoulder and held his hand in her own.

* * *

><p>"Sir, Arc reactor charging complete," JARVIS's voice announced and Tony Stark started moving about to force himself out of his deadened sleep, but he did not want to.<p>

He wanted to sleep further and tried to roll onto his side…but noticed that he could not.

"What the…"

And he saw a welcoming sight beside him. Abygail was lying on his shoulder, asleep peacefully. She was so beautiful, which led him to believe that she was not real at first.

He lied there, staring at the perfect apparition of his perfect woman wondering if he was still asleep and wondering if she would vanish upon touching her perfect face.

Tony reached out to touch her face and she giggled quickly before looking up at him with her beautiful smile and crystal eyes. She was very real.

Quickly and with laughter and joy, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her over him to where she was on the side of the bed by the window. They shared the tightest embrace and the sweetest kiss that they had ever shared even in the days that they were sneaking around.

"How can this be?" he asked her. "They said it would be weeks until you would be released from the hospital. How can you be here?"

"I signed myself out on a day-pass," she told him. "I'm due back at 5PM, but that should give us enough time."

Tony smoothed out one of her knotted, red curls. "Time for what?" he asked.

She reached into the pocket of the white sundress that she was wearing and pulled out something that she had been keeping.

"To finish some unfinished business," she told him.

It was the engagement ring that he had left in her hand before he left and from when he was going to propose in Mexico. She had found it and knew obviously what it was for.

"Anthony…Anthony," she said. "Help me out here Stark."

He let out a brief chuckle, realizing what she was looking for. "Anthony Edward," he told her. "Anthony Edward Stark."

"Anthony Edward Stark," she repeated his full-length name, "will you still have me as your wife?"

"Only as long as you promise to never call me by the full name ever again and do not share that information with your girlfriends while you are shopping?" he dealed with her.

"Oh yeah?" she dared him.

"Yeah," he replied before he kissed her fully on her lips, but as he did, he slipped the ring onto the finger where it rightfully belonged.

They kissed each other until Abby began to become stressed and she had to release from him. She sat up slowly and relaxed while he massaged her shoulders.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Did I hurt you?"

"No," she answered. "Just out of breath. You leave me breathless Tony Stark." She cuddled her head into the space between his head and shoulder and he held her gently in his arms though a doll that would break if handled too harshly.

"No, you leave me breathless Abygail Wickford," he whispered to her. "Without you, there is no breath for me to take."

"Oh don't you start with poetic musings," she laughed at him. "I like you just the way you are."

"Well, and according to a personality profile that was completed on me," he told her. "I am one who is described as volatile, self-obsessed, and narcissistic, and I do not play well with others."

"Well, there is always room for improvement," she told him.

They both laughed before they cuddled together in a holding pattern until the time would come until he or someone would be forced to return her back to the hospital.

Tony and Abby agreed that they needed to get married and soon…before the next crisis would happen and they would be parted yet again.

They chose the first weekend that she was home from the hospital on the front lawn of his estate. The house would be perfect.

While she took a nap in the bedroom, Tony went rushing down the stairs, buttoning a shirt as he did, and calling for Pepper.

"Pepper, where are you when I need you?" he called. "Pep!"

"Hold your horses," Pepper said as she came from the office. "I'm over here."

"I need you and Happy to get to work," he told her. "I'm getting hitched."

"What? When? Where?" she asked in shock.

"The first weekend that Abby is home from the hospital right out here on the front lawn," he displayed showing her the front lawn that she often saw every day, but would never have depicted that he would want to have strangers sitting on it, let alone for a wedding. "Just her friends and family, my friends, screened and background checked reporters for ex-girlfriends, and anyone else that you think should come.

"Abby is going to look for a dress online, which is the same way we are getting our rings," he listed everything, counting on his hands.

"What about a reception?" she added. "You are not going to fit everyone outside or here in the house."

"Chances are that Rhodey and I might get launched before we finish so just plan for small things," he told her. "Talk it over with Abby after I take her back to the hospital this evening."

"When is this magical date taking place and I mean a specific timeframe?" she asked.

"As soon as she is out," he shouted as he headed back up the steps, "or or max time, four weeks."

Pepper Potts was dismayed that she was going to have to throw a wedding together in a manner of a couple of weeks and do everything that he needed done.

"Happy," she called and headed toward the garage to find him.

She was going to need help.

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><p><em>Yay! The lovebirds are getting married. The wedding and the end of our story is next so please review!<em>


	25. Chapter 25 Wedded Bliss

_OK, it's the wedding of Tony Stark and Abygail Wickford. Grab the tissues as this was the very first wedding ceremony I have ever written (even before I wrote the one for Stockholm) and I made it gushy, with a little Stark-esque humor._

_When they are getting hitched, Josh Groban's "You Raise me up" was the song that I wrote this scene too._

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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-Five – Wedded bliss<strong>

_Three weeks later – Stark Residence_

People from all walks of life, friends, and family gathered on the lawn of Tony Stark's residence. The driveway area and sloping ground made it unusual to have a wedding there, but since this wedding was a spur of the moment thing, they had to make concessions.

Security surrounded the house and the wedding, but helicopters with press trying to snag unsolicited photos of the wedding hovered overhead.

Everyone was restless as they waited for the wedding to start while sweltering in the hot Malibu sun. Some of the older women had hand held fans to keep them cool while they waited for the wedding to start.

Inside the house however, there was a little uneasiness in the atmosphere.

"Hold still Tony," Pepper told him as she clipped the solo button at the top of his crisp white shirt. "You're not making this any easier."

"I am grown man Pep," he said fidgeting while she worked to get the button latched. "I don't know why you won't let me do this on my own?"

"Because it has to be angled the right way in order to be perfect," she told him. "Plus, I have the small fingers to get into this tight gap so I can latch it."

"Well would you make it quick already?"

"Agitated, are we?" Jamie said while scanning the grid on the scanner screen window.

"Not agitated," Tony countered. "Just a little, you know…"

"Nervous," Pepper replied.

Tony was silent to reply for a second before asking her to finish up. "How does it look out there Rhodey?" he asked.

"The guests have arrived and are just waiting…"

"Not out there on the front lawn. I can see that. I meant out in the city, the world."

"Oh, that 'out there.' Everything looks quiet," his best man said as he shut off the scanner. "I think we can get through your wedding without any interruptions."

"A wedding, besides my own, should not be something that I have to 'get through' without being interrupted," Tony replied as Pepper was finished with buttoning the button. "I want this day to be perfect not for me, but for that beautiful woman who is upstairs parading in my room while she gets ready."

"Who's parading?" a voice came from upstairs.

The trio looked up and saw Abygail draped across the railing at the top of the stairwell, but the wall blocked anyone from seeing the rest of her. Her red hair was entwined in long curls while diamonds and flowers were clipped all around the waves.

"Surely you are not talking about me," she joked with them.

Tony could not see the dress that she had selected by the way her body draped over the railing. Her arms graced along the edges, but she brought them in so her chin could rest upon them.

"You tempt me with your smile, yet I long to see more of you," Tony said.

"Don't listen to that crooning Abby," Jamie told her. "He's seen all of you."

"And how do you know this?" she asked.

"Well," Tony tried to deny talking about her to his friend, but was interrupted with Happy came inside to get him.

"Hey boss, the guests are getting antsy out here," he said.

"We're on our way out so get the priest ready and tell the musician we are on our way out," Tony informed him to tell everyone. "Come on Abby, we need to get this show on the road."

"You can't see me yet Tony," she told him. "You go outside and I will be out momentarily."

"Oh devilish temptress," he said shaking a fist at her. "How you tempt me?"

She was chuckling as Jamie almost forcefully escorted him out of the house to get ready to walk up the aisle.

* * *

><p>"Are you dressed?" Pepper Potts asked her as she looked up.<p>

Abygail stood up and started coming downstairs. She had to wait until she passed the fountain wall before she could get a good look at the woman who was going to marrying her boss today.

Her dress was magnificent in the shape and the crystals that covered the bodice and across the straight frame dress. Only the top part of the scar that held her new heart could be seen, but she had done her best to cover it in makeup. If you were up close to her as she was in that moment, you'd be able to see it. "You did Tony's shirt. Now will you do my choker?"

"Anything," she replied and clipped the multiple chains of diamonds around her neck. "All set. Are you sure you do not want me to walk up behind you?"

"I'm positive," Abby replied. "You go ahead and signal that I am ready to come out…but you may want to make sure that you are there to pick Tony's jaw off the ground."

"The muzzle is already under the altar," Pepper joked.

Abby laughed and received a hug.

"You're going to make him a new Tony Stark, you know that right?"

"I'm counting on it Pep," she replied. "I'm counting on it."

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><p>Everyone was in position outside and the musicians were playing their instrumental music to warm up the people.<p>

Tony stood there as the priest was ready to welcome everyone, but Pepper and Abby were still missing.

He took a quick glance from Abygail's father who was sitting in the front row staring at him. He refused to be on the oxygen that the nurse had brought for him, but his walker showed how frail he was becoming in his old age.

Tony shivered at the glare he received and leaned back into Jamie. "If looks could kill, my future father-in-law would have dropped me into the Pacific Ocean in cement shoes by now," he whispered.

Jamie smirked with a laugh. "Yeah, you'll be dead if you hurt his baby," he replied.

Suddenly, Pepper came lightly jogging up the aisle to take her place as a Maid of Honor and fixed her reddish curled bang before the wedding started.

"Where is she?" Tony whispered.

The music changed briefly before becoming the "Here comes the Bride" anthem.

"Never mind," he whispered and looked down the aisle of risen people.

There were cameras flashing all about, but what truly caught his eye was the ball of sparkles that reflected off the windows of the house.

Finally, Abby walked around the bend in the aisle. She stopped and stood for a few brief pictures. Then she began her walk straight for him.

He about fell over, but Rhodey was there to keep him standing. "No fainting man. That is very feminine."

"Right, fainting bad."

But how could he explain what he was seeing. The love of his life was walking toward him in the most beautiful form that he had ever seen her in. The white dress with all the diamonds or crystals, whatever they were, illuminated around her in a cluster of stars. Her reddish brown hair sparkled amongst the diamonds that interlaced her curls that he was able to see because she only wore a diamond broach that pulled some of the curls upward.

She sparkled under the noontime sun with her arms straight down at her sides without flowers in hand. Her shoulders pulled back in proper formation and no one escorted her up the aisle however. She came on her own power.

Must have been a part of the independent personality that he loved her so much for.

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><p>Abygail Wickford walked up the aisle toward Tony and the future that awaited her. She wanted to walk up by herself, not only to spare her father from walking up the aisle or in a wheelchair, but also to show that she was recovering not only in physical strength, but in her emotional and spiritual state as well.<p>

She made it to the step and stood there solid while waiting for the moment to come and the music to stop. Pepper came around and fanned out the dress.

Tony stared at her and mouthed what looked like a "wow" to her.

She mouthed back a "thanks" before priest started the wedding.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today, before God, because marriage is one of His most sacred wishes. We have been called to witness the joining of Anthony Edward Stark and Abygail Angela Wickford. This occasion marks the celebration of love and commitment with which this man and this woman begin their life together. And now, with my assistance, He joins you together in one of the holiest bonds. Who gives this woman in marriage to this man?" the priest asked of the crowd.

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><p>Alexander Wickford, slowly standing with the use of his crystal cane, refused the help of his subservient helpers. With all the grief and tragedy his retirement had brought on his daughter, he wanted to be the one to give her away.<p>

"That would be my honor sir," Alexander answered the question.

Abby turned to him in disbelief that he actually was going to give her away to Tony Stark when he had been protesting their relationship from the very beginning.

She stepped over and embraced him tightly.

"Thank you daddy," she said to him.

He held her against him, remembering what it was like when he got married to his soulmate Angela Hammer. It was the happiest day of his life before this moment.

When they released their embrace, he had one piece of word that he needed to tell her. "You go and spread your wings my love," he told her. "They don't make many more Tony Starks with a heart you know."

She kissed him on the cheek before returning to her post.

* * *

><p>Tony Stark had come one step down and was ready to take Abby's hand and bring her to the second step where they would stand to be married.<p>

She stood on the second step with her hands grasped tightly by Tony as their wedding was finally about to begin.

"And, just for the record Father, I am here under my own choice and regard," Tony said as a joke.

Abby chuckled at the joke.

"Indeed Mr. Stark," the priest replied to the joke in a non-amused tone, but continued in his speech. "This is a beginning and a continuation of their growth as individuals. With mutual care, respect, responsibility and knowledge comes the affirmation of each one's own life happiness, growth and freedom. With respect for individual boundaries comes the freedom to love unconditionally. Within the emotional safety of a loving relationship – the knowledge self-offered one another becomes the fertile soil for continued growth. With care and responsibility towards self and one another comes the potential for full and happy lives. "By gathering together all the wishes of happiness and our fondest hopes for Anthony and Abygail from all present here, we assure them that our hearts are in tune with theirs. These moments are so meaningful to all of us, for "what greater thing is there for two human souls than to feel that they are joined together, to strengthen each other in all labor, to minister to each other in times of sorrow, and to share with each other in all gladness."

He called forth the ring bearer, one of Tony's employee's sons to bring the pillow with the two sparkling bands forward to have them blessed in prayer.

"Anthony will you please take this ring and take Abygail's left hand and place it on her finger after you recite your sworn vow," the priest asked him to do.

"OK," he said, "lets see if I remember everything." Everyone laughed. "Abygail Angela Wickford, I take you to be my lawfully wedded wife." He was saying his vow with sudden sense of nervousness in his voice and posture. "Before these witnesses, I vow to love you and care for you as long as we both shall live. I take you, with all of your faults and strengths, as I offer myself to you with my faults and strengths, and we both know there are a lot of them." She let out a quiet laugh. "I will help you when you need help, and will turn to you when I need help. I choose you as the person with whom I will spend the rest of my life with."

He slipped the beautiful, yet overly sized and surrounded diamond ring onto her trembling hand.

"Abygail, will you please take this ring and take Anthony's left hand and place it on his finger after you recite your vow," the priest asked her to repeat the same motion as Tony did only a moment ago.

She did and held the ring, but she was trembling and was finding it hard to breathe.

"It's OK," he told her. "Just relax. Remember who is helping you now."

She took a deep breath and did as she was asked to do.

"Anthony Edward Stark, I take you to be my lawfully wedded husband. Before these witnesses I vow to love you and care for you as long as we both shall live. I take you, with all of your faults and strengths." He chuckled as she as she said that part. "I offer myself to you with my faults and strengths. I will help you when you need help, and will turn to you when I need help. I choose you as the person whom I will spend the rest of my life with."

"Are you sure?" he asked her with a laugh.

She nodded and replied, "Yes," to him at a whisper and slipped the simple platinum band with the diamond implanted in it.

He examined it for a second on his hand. He also saw that his initials were engraved in the bottom. "Very nice," he whispered.

James snorted in a laugh from behind him.

Abby smiled and saw that she too had her initials engraved on the back of her band. "You copied me?" she whispered.

The priest lightly coughed to get them focused again.

"Sorry," Tony said and smiled back with a lift of his eyebrows.

Abby giggled.

"Anthony and Abygail, with the exchange of your vows and with the rings you have placed on each of your hands, may you always share with each other the gifts of love – be one in heart and in mind – may you always create a home together that puts in your hearts, your love, your generosity, and your kindness." He took their hands in his and held them together while they stared at each other. "You have pronounced yourselves husband and wife but remember to always be each other's best friend. Therefore what God has joined together, let no man put asunder. And so, by the power vested in me by the State of California and…" He trailed off as they all heard the computer beeping from inside Jamie's pocket.

Abby looked over as James came to stand close behind Tony to show him the screen.

"Sorry man, but we have to go," he said.

"I'm trying to get married here," Tony told him.

"The Mandarin escaped from jail, destroying the armored car that was carrying him, killed a couple guards, and is proceeding into the city," James told him the urgency of the situation.

"Of all days, why couldn't they have moved him tomorrow?"

"Shall I continue?" the priest asked.

"Just a second," Tony told him and turned to his bride. "You tell me what I should I do? You, after all as I just said, will help me make my decisions and I will turn to you when I need help. Well, I need help."

"More than you know," she replied. "The people depend on you Tony. You can't neglect them simply because you are now married to me or you will be." She put her left hand on his cheek to which he turned and kissed the inner palm. "The people still need Iron Man and I know that you will always return to me. You need to go."

The computer beeped again and JARVIS spoke to them. "Threat level risen to Level Three sirs," the voice replied.

"OK, Tony you finish here and I'll go and hold him until you can meet up with me," Jamie said to him.

"I'm coming," he replied. He did not want to go, but knew that he had to go and had the permission of Abby to do so. "Hey man, can I at least kiss the bride first before I go?" Tony asked him.

Jamie says, "Oh yeah. Sure, go ahead."

Tony turned to Abby and their lips met forcefully. It took her off guard, but she smiled and returned with a kiss as sweet as it could have been. He held her body close to his with a hand thoroughly deep in her red curls and flowers. He scooped her into a low-dip after swinging her around to be braced against his bent knee.

While they were locked together however, he could hear the priest announce quickly, "I present to you the new Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Stark," after he staggered and dropped his Bible.

The crowd erupted in applause and stood up. The children in back released the balloons into the sky and the confetti was flying all around the guests and them.

He did not want to leave to fight The Mandarin. He wanted to stay right here.

But their kisses became several smaller, in between kisses with breaths amongst them after he brought them back to vertical position.

Abygail was trying to say something to him. "Go," she said with a laugh and more whisper like kisses. "Go. Go."

He laughed and took off with Rhodey up the aisle, but quickly ran back for one more, quick kiss and tossed Pepper the communicator before they vanished into the house.

JARVIS and the suiting equipment worked to lock Tony and Jamie into their respected Iron Man and War Machine armored uniforms before they could engage in battle.

The left glove was about to go on, but Tony said, "wait," to fix his platinum band so it was tight against his knuckle. "OK, now you may." The robot put the glove on.

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><p>Abygail and the guests heard and felt the rumbling from beneath the mansion and awaited the moment when Iron Man and War Machine blasted off from underneath the house.<p>

Suddenly from the garage, both metal warriors shot out and into the sky above.

The people that attended the wedding and / or had never seen watched Iron Man or War Machine exit from underneath the house were in amazement and shock, but it was a sight worth experiencing.

Abby ran to the edge of grounds and stared to the smoke trail that signaled the path that Jamie and her husband took. She watched with her hands over her eyes to block out the sun until they were out of sight; but it did appear to be almost in salute.

"Good luck my hero," she whispered.

There was a sound that came from Pepper Potts from the computer that Tony had tossed her before taking off to become his alter ego. His secretary let out a quick laugh. "Abby," Pepper said, "it's for you."

She took the computer reader and saw there was a text message, indeed for her.

The computer screen's message said "**Cheeseburgers, beer, and my wife (preferably in something revealing) when I get home, please.**"

She laughed and brought the computer screen against the scar where her new heart resided while she stared at the gorgeous blue skies and the smoke trail the heroes left behind above her.

Her husband and his friend were gone from view, but she knew somehow, he could hear her.

"I'll be waiting for you…my hero," she whispered and turned to walk toward the house to occupy her guests. She did have a reception to host after all.

Soon, her husband would be home and there would be nothing to keep them apart ever again.

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><p><em>That has to be the funniest if not romantic wedding I have ever written. It just screams Tony. Please let me know if you liked it by reviewing!<em>

_If you want to see what Abby's dress looked like, here it is at David's Bridal - Dress V9364  
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_.com/Product_A-line-with-Beaded-Embroidered-Metallic-Bodice-V9364_Bridal-Gowns-Features-All-Gowns  
><em>


	26. Epilogue

_OK, we have finally reached the end of Iron Man: Change my Heart. I hope that you all have enjoyed this story. Thank you one and all for the wonderful reviews. I have treasured each and everyone of them.  
><em>

_Remember to "Fave Author" of "Author Alert" me to stay in tune with other works. There is rumor of a sequel that would take place after "The Avengers," featuring Abby Stark and Jane Foster (Thor fame)  
><em>

_The time is one month after the wedding (two months since her transp  
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><p><em>Epilogue – New York City<em>

It had been a short honeymoon in Europe, but when you lived the life of a superhero; it was what they signed up for.

Tony Stark popped the door handle with his foot so he could carry his bride Abby over the threshold. This was to be their new tower condo / home in the Big Apple and they would keep the house in Malibu as a retreat home.

She was chuckling with her arms around his neck and he was trying to carry her purse in his teeth.

Once they were inside, he was going to put her down when he changed his mind. "You know what," he said. "I think I am going to carry you directly into our new bedroom."

"Oh my God, haven't you had enough yet?" she asked. "You know that it has only been two months since my transplant and I have to still be taking it easy."

"Oh come on," he joked as he did set her down, "I have needs too."

His wife started to walk away, even toward the bedroom. She glanced back saying, "And you will get them as long as you give me..." Abby trailed off when she saw that they were not alone.

"What..." He came and put his hands on her hips, but that was when Tony saw the man sitting on the sofa too.

"Do you not have anyone else's house to haunt?" he asked. "And my new place of all places."

"Our new place," she corrected him.

"Oh yes, our new place," he changed the pronoun.

"I wanted to come and wish you two the best," the man said.

"Do you know him?" she whispered to him.

"Nick Fury of SHIELD," he replied.

Abby knew exactly who he was once she was able to put a face to a name. "A pleasure Mr. Fury," she said. "So what can my husband and I do for you?" She whipped her purse down onto the chair.

"Mr. Stark is needed for a very sensitive mission," he told her.

"In case you haven't noticed, but I just walked in from my honeymoon less than a minute ago," he snapped. "I am not leaving Abby, my new wife behind."

"Do not worry Stark," Fury told him. "She is coming with...and about to make some new friends."

"Friends?" she asked. "And who are my new friends about to be?"

"Some of the most passionate people in the world," the SHIELD operative said. "Welcome to the Avengers Wives Club Lady Stark."

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><p><em>Hope you have all enjoyed this story and look to some of my other pieces and future pieces as well. Love you all!<em>

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><p><em>The Avengers' Wives' Club is an original work that I am trying to develop, featuring some of the most powerful women that stand beside some of the Earth's greatest heroes. The tagline for this is "Behind every great hero...is an even stronger woman." It would feature (obviously) Abygail Stark, Jane Foster (if she got with Thor), Mary Jane Parker, Betty Ross, and Elektra Natchios. They would be protected by SHIELD, but what if they needed to depend upon each other to survive. Very much still in the concept stages, but I think it is has some clout.<em>


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